The Griffin and the Fox
by The-Chibi-Poe
Summary: The Konoha genin and their supervisors have arrived at Hogwarts, but nothing is as they had assumed.
1. Concerning Shinobi

The Griffin and the Fox  
  
All characters copyright Kishimoto Masashi and/or J.K. Rowling.  
  
Chapter 1   
  
Concering Shinobi  
  
"So, let me see if I've got this right," Jiraiya murmured, rubbing his forehead as he looked around the circle of jounin seated at the table. "Despite multiple years in the academy, the only genin who didn't fall prey to this Kabuto's sleep jutsu were Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino?"  
"You'll recall, of course," Anko spoke up. "That I was rather surprised so many made it into the chuunin exam. My complaints were dismissed." She glared in Ibiki's direction.  
"Whether or not they were ready for the chuunin exam is not the issue, they made it. And it's over. We are more focused on filling in this hole. Had they been prepared for such a thing, the attack on Konoha would never have accomplished as much as it did. The forces arrayed against us, with a select few, were hardly a serious threat in anything but numbers." Ibiki retorted, ignoring her glare. "It took several of them just to call forth a major summoning. The genin would have been very useful in repelling the forces gathered against us while we dispensed with the few who were a threat."  
"I agree," Kakashi said, from his position by the door. "The situation wouldn't have been nearly as desperate if we had had their support."  
"I have a suggestion," Jiraiya said, glancing around to be sure he had everyone's attention. "I think we should take a group of the genin on a trip. Give them a little reorientation on their basic skills, things that they should have known."  
"What are you proposing?" Asuma inquired, leaning back in his chair.  
"Hogwarts."  
Silence reigned over the meeting at this, then Kurenai spoke up. "Is that wise? We haven't had particularly friendly relations with that branch of the outside community since that incident."  
"Wise?" Jiraiya asked in reply. "Probably not. Necessary, however."  
"How is it necessary?" Genma inquired, rousing from his expression of boredom finally.  
"For one, there's no better place that isn't the village to refresh their skills on the basics." Jiraiya replied. "For another, it may give them the opportunity to deal with someone less of a threat than Orochimaru. It would be interesting to see how their skills match up against him."  
"Who?" Kakashi asked, disliking the grin forming on the legendary shinobi's features.  
"Voldemort."  
Kurenai reacted first. "Are you mad? As if Orochimaru wasn't bad enough, you want to bring that bastard down on our village again by parading the genin around at his number one target?"  
"I have to agree," Kakashi said. "And I submit my recommendation that Naruto not be sent on this little endeavor. Whether it is approved or not."  
"I'm afraid I'm taking Naruto off your hands, Kakashi." Jiraiya responded, his tone clear that he would accept no arguments on the matter. "Whatever your reasons, there was no excuse for your blatant favoritism before the chuunin finals. You've forfeited the right to have any opinion on the matter when you abandoned him to train Sasuke. I am his sensei now."  
The grey-haired jounin looked shocked at the rebuke, but, before he could reply, Kurenai resumed her interrogation. "And let's discuss Naruto, while we're on the subject. You were the one who taught him how to tap into the chakra of the Kyuubi, weren't you? And now this! I almost think you're trying to destroy the village yourself with these actions!"  
Jiraiya snorted. "And would you prefer he remained ignorant of the power he contains, so that the next time he is in a situation where he thinks someone he cares for is dead, he loses all control because he doesn't know how to deal with the Kyuubi's chakra and that demon is unleashed on us again? I do know what I am doing."  
"He was in control the entire time." Genma said quietly, drawing the stares of everyone.  
"What?" Kurenai inquired, still rather enraged.  
"When he called on the Kyuubi's chakra against the Hyuuga, he was in complete control the entire time." He repeated, expanding on his original statement. "Not once did he lose rationality or awareness. In fact, he became even more aware and focused. That was how he defeated Neji."  
"I don't see how Naruto's ability to remain aware of himself in a situation that is entirely under our control has any bearing on the utter arrogance displayed by Jiraiya in teaching him to tap that thing's power." Kurenai snapped.  
"I'm so flattered that you consider me to be completely lacking in any sort of sense, Kurenai-san," Jiraiya replied, crossing his arms as his expression darkened. "In fact, I would assume you think you could do a better job, is that it?"  
Kurenai blanched. "I didn't..."  
"So, leaving aside the question of whether or not Kurenai-san believes she can instruct my student better," Jiraiya announced, voice raising slightly to cut Kurenai off. "Does anyone want to know the details of what I propose before going off and calling me an arrogant fool?"  
"Please, Jiraiya-sama, share your intentions with us," Maito Gai said, speaking for the first time himself.  
"I, Naruto, and whoever else you elect to send, along with a few jounin, will escort the genin to Hogwarts. At Diagon Alley, however, I will be taking Naruto and separating from you for a time. I have been charged with a task by the council."  
"Which is?" Kakashi asked, voice low, evidence that he was still stinging from Jiraiya's words.  
"Retrieving Tsunade." Jiraiya announced. "To assume the role of Godaime."  
Again, silence descended upon the meeting, before Genma spoke up. "And those of us who accompany the genin? What will we do?"  
"Remain in Diagon Alley and stay at the Leaky Cauldron," Jiraiya told him. "I have a fairly good idea of where to find that princess, so I expect to be gone little more than a week. Once I've returned, we'll escort the genin on to Hogwarts."  
"And we'll be wandering around Diagon Alley, staying at the Leaky Cauldron, in full view of everyone, while you traipse about the countryside looking for Tsunade-sama," Kurenai muttered. "Might as well send a message to Orochimaru. Here we are! Come and kill us!"  
"Orochimaru won't be going anywhere near Diagon Alley," Jiraiya countered. "If the old man did what I suspect, Orochimaru has only one option left to him at the moment to undo what was done. And that's Tsunade. I'm hoping to put an end to him there if we cross paths."  
"This sounds like a rather risky gamble," Gai pointed out. "You're hoping that Orochimaru will be looking for Tsunade. You think you know where Tsunade is. Doesn't sound too solid, if I might point out."  
"There is absolutely nothing and no one in Diagon Alley that can help Orochimaru's problem." Jiraiya asserted confidently. "Tsunade is the only one with the skills to restore him. More precisely, she is the only one with the skills to restore him that would even give him a moment to explain himself."  
"And thus, you expect to encounter him and end this whole affair, yes?" Kakashi asked, a frown creasing his mask.  
"If at all possible, yes." Jiraiya confirmed. "It would be advantageous, since Tsunade would be there and I could gather her support."  
"And if she turns against you?" Kurenai demanded. "Even you are no match for two of the san-nin."  
Jiraiya grinned. "Perhaps not, but Tsunade will no more allow Orochimaru to run loose to destroy Konoha than she would accept my advances. Whether she agrees or not, she has too many ties to the village to simply let Orochimaru have his way."  
"Well, it seems like the great Jiraiya has it all figured out," muttered Kurenai. "Why do you even need us?"  
"Because," he said. "I need a few of you to watch the genin while I'm away. I'm not stupid enough to leave them for a week in Diagon Alley by themselves."  
"So we're babysitters?" Kurenai asked, incredulous.  
"I wasn't going to put it so crudely, but yes." Jiraiya told her with a vicious grin. "Now, you can figure out who you'd like to come amongst yourselves. I have other business to conduct. Kakashi. I will speak with you." He turned on his heel, not looking back to see if the jounin followed.  
"Should we bow and call him your majesty when he enters and leaves?" Kurenai muttered under her breath as he passed out of hearing, ignoring the looks she received from several of the other jounin.  
"Well, it seems like it is time to figure out who should go," Gai said quietly.

"I'll be wanting you to accompany us as far as the Shinobi training center," Jiraiya said. "I want you to keep Sakura and Sasuke there. Keep them there until he can control that curse seal. Orochimaru has one other option left to him if what I suspect is true about that seal."  
Kakashi nodded. "He isn't just interested in turning Sasuke to his side, is he?"  
"No," Jiraiya confirmed. "It's something worse. And it isn't the only problem. There are those who may be interested in the Kyuubi as well. An organisation I have been hearing about. That is why Naruto will be staying close by me."  
"That's not the only reason, is it?" Kakashi asked of the silver haired legendary ninja.  
"No," Jiraiya answered. "But it's the only answer you are going to get."  
"Are you really that upset about my training Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, after a moment.  
"No," Jiraiya replied. "Training Sasuke was your prerogative. Training Sasuke at the exclusion of your other students was insulting and a disgrace to the one who trained you. That is what I take exception to."  
"Naruto didn't need my assistance the way Sasuke did," Kakashi countered.  
"No?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Sasuke wasn't the only one Orochimaru put a seal on."  
"He cursed Naruto as well?" Kakashi's single visible eyebrow rose. "I've never seen any evidence.   
"Not a curse seal, but, for the time it was present, just as debilitating." Jiraiya explained. "Orochimaru cut off his access to the Kyuubi at some point. Probably when he met Sasuke in the forest of death."  
"And you spotted and undid it?" Kakashi's eyebrow rose higher, his voice tight. "And you compare that to a curse seal?"  
"Naruto was unable to perform something as simple as water-walking while his chakra was disturbed in that fashion." Jiraiya cut him off. "Had I not taken an interest, he'd have been prey for anyone who wanted him. Ebisu never noticed, nor did he possess the skills to undo it if he had."  
"I made a judgment call, based on the situation," Kakashi growled. "I do not have to justify my actions to you concering my students."  
"No, I don't suppose you do." Jiraiya agreed. "Which is exactly why Naruto isn't your student any longer. You can just continue on obsessing over the Uchiha and ignoring your other student, singular, now."  
"The tales never painted you as being this bitter." Kakashi remarked.  
Jiraiya's expression darkened as he regarded the copy-ninja. "My sensei is dead, at the hands of one of my own companions, for all intents and purposes. I find you disgracing your sensei with your single-minded fixation on the Uchiha boy. Forgive me if I don't appear to be meeting this fantasy expectation you have in your mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find Naruto. I'm sure you have something to do that's more important. Idolising Uchiha Sasuke, perhaps?" With that, he swept out of Kakashi's presence and did not look back.

Uzumaki Naruto was never one to shirk in the physical aspects of his training. As most of his teachers could attest, however, in anything not directly related to getting stronger or being acknowledged by the village, he paid it little mind. So, it would be to the surprise of them all to find him with his nose in a book at a time when he would ordinarily be training in the woods around the village.  
"Kuchiyose no jutsu.." he muttered, his eyes scrolling down the list of jutsu and their effects. "Ah!" He flipped to the page indicated and carried the book to a table to read more comfortably. That done, he began to read, the words running through his mind.  
  
_ Kuchiyose no jutsu is one of the primary space-time techniques that bridges the temporal as well as the spatial, depending on the intent. Various applications of it have been developed. One such is Doton Tsuiga no Jutsu, used as a tracking and capturing device. This uses the summoning effect with a specific goal in mind, rather than calling a creature forth and then dispensing commands. Kiriki Mai is another application of the summoning, which calls forth a warrior-beast to augment a wind-based attack. Some clans are permanently in contract with another entity, such as the Aburame of Konoha, who give host to insects within their bodies in exchange for their assistance in combat, stealth, and other needs. The Inuzuka family are tied to canines as permanent partners, and often are raised as pairs from birth, to further enhance the partnership.  
Another application of Kuchiyose no jutsu is Edo Tensei, which is a kinjutsu of the highest order. Usage of it is a violation of the natural order of things and should never be attempted, let alone learned. Edo Tensei calls forth the deceased, provided you can make an offering of bodies for them to reside in. The basic Kuchiyose, however, merely calls forth a creature from another plane to add the caller. Examples of this are the legendary san-nin and their well-known partners; Jiraiya and Gamabunta the Toad, Tsunade and Katsuya the Slug, and Orochimaru and Manda the Serpent.  
_  
"Was that the big snake that the Snake-freak summoned against me in the forest of death...?" Naruto wondered aloud.  
"Che! Not hardly. As powerful as you are, you would not survive an encounter with Manda," a voice interrupted.  
"Eh?" Naruto turned, his eyes bugging out. "Ero-sennin!"  
Jiraiya sighed. "Why do you always call me that whenever I see you?"  
"Because you're a pervert!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing as he said this.  
"We are in a library, you know," Jiraiya pointed out.  
"What's that got to do with anything, Ero-sennin?" Naruto demanded.  
"You're supposed to be quiet in a library," Jiraiya told him.  
"Oh." Naruto was silent for a moment. "Then why didn't you say so in the first place?"  
"I can't win," Jiraiya muttered. "How did I get saddled with such a no-talent idiot for an apprentice? Oh, that's right. I volunteered for the job."  
"Quiet!" Naruto pronounced, making a gesture for the older man to stop talking. "This is a library!"  
"Let's go," the legendary shinobi said, hoisting the loud boy by the collar and carrying him out, ignoring his protests.  
"Oi! Ero-sennin! Let me go!" Naruto shouted, struggling in the older man's grip.  
"Be quiet, idiot." Jiraiya muttered. "I need to talk to you."  
"Bah! I have no time for a perverted hermit like you!" Naruto stated. "I have to find Kakashi and train. I want him to teach me the Chidori."  
"Eh? Chidori?" Jiraiya inquired, considering. "In all honesty, you aren't the type to be able to use the Chidori."  
"And how would a pervert like you have any idea?" the boy asked. "All you do is spend time peeping at the baths!"  
Jiraiya glanced nervously at several woman who gave him glares as Naruto revealed that tidbit. "Quiet! Do you want to ruin all my secrets?"  
"Pfft. Everyone knows you're just an Ero-sennin!" Naruto said. "Now, I gotta go find Kakashi."  
"Oi, wait a second," Jiraiya told him. "I need you to come with me, to find someone. A woman."   
"Aaaah! I knew it, Ero-sennin!" Naruto yelled, pointing. "You just want me to come along on your perverted peeping sessions!"  
"Tch, like I'd want you along," Jiraiya replied. "You're too noisy for those. No, this woman is a legendary shinobi like me. She knows lots of special techniques that you can learn."  
"Not interested," Naruto muttered.  
Jiraiya shrugged. "I do know a jutsu more powerful than the Chidori, but, since you're not interested, I guess I'll ask Sasuke." He started to walk away.  
"Hey! Hey!" Naruto shouted, rushing to stop him. "I'll be ready in a minute. Ero-sennin! Stay right there!" He took off at a run, leaving a massive dust trail in his wake.  
"Heh. What a cute kid." Jiraiya said, smiling.

He stood before the door, raised one hand to knock, then dropped it. He couldn't do this. Not after what he'd done to her.  
"Neji-nii-kun?" a timid voice inquired from behind him, almost fearful.  
Hyuuga Neji froze, then slowly turned around. "Hinata-sama."  
"C-can I help you?" she inquired, not moving from where she stood some distance away, but clearly poised to run if he made any threatening moves.  
"Hinata-sama..." Neji repeated, then sank into a bow. "Forgive me."  
"Neji-nii-kun...." Hinata murmured, shocked. "Anou....what?"  
Neji was still for a moment, then he pressed his forehead to the ground. "Hinata-sama, forgive me. I did terrible things to you for no other reason than to sate my anger and dislike of the main family. I beg your forgiveness."  
"Stand up, Neji-nii-kun," Hyuuga Hinata said, voice barely above a whisper. "You are family."  
"Hinata-sama..." Neji murmured, slowly raising his head to regard her. "I..."  
"Hinata!" a voice called out.  
"Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata said, bowing in acknowledgement.  
"Neji-san!" said the familiar intonations of Hyuuga Neji's sensei, Maito Gai and one of his other students, Rock Lee. By their side limped Lee, struggling along with his single crutch. Kurenai appeared to be quite aggravated by their presence.  
"Gai-sensei?" Neji said, a question in his voice.  
"It is good that we find you here settling your differences," Gai nodded. "But we have something to discuss with Hinata."  
"Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked.  
"Hinata," her jounin instructor began. "A group of the genin will be going on a mission. You've been chosen as one who will be participating."  
Hinata said nothing, eyes wide.  
"Gai-sensei."  
Gai turned his head to look at Neji. "Yes?"  
"I would like to go as well, as Hinata-sama's protector."  
Gai and Kurenai both blinked, and Hinata's eyes widened as Gai spoke. "Why?"  
"I have done...terrible things to Hinata-sama," Neji said, bowing his head. "I must atone for my actions. Hinata-sama is still injured from what I did, so she requires aid."  
Kurenai looked at Gai, who shrugged, then at Hinata. "Hinata? The decision is yours."  
"Um...Neji-nii-kun," Hinata began. "I would b-be honored."  
"Yosh!" Lee cried, pumping one arm in the air. "That was so beautiful. Gai-sensei!"  
"Lee!" the two embraced, both crying over what they had just witnessed.  
Kurenai sighed. "I think I have a headache."  
"What's the mission, Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked her.  
"Travelling, to start. You and several others will be accompanied by several jounin, to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."  
Hinata and Neji's eyes widened simultaneously before Neji spoke. "You're serious? Why?"  
"Not my decision," Kurenai shrugged. "I was over-ridden. The genin who will be going are in need of refreshing their basic skills. It was decided this was the best course of action. To provide those genin lacking in the fundamental principles a understanding of them through study at the premier institution for such things."  
Gai nodded, disengaging from his hug with Lee to confirm. "Hinata-san was selected, as were several others. You had not, in actuality, been chosen, Neji, but since the heir to the house has spoken, you will be accompanying her, as you requested."  
"Who else will be coming?" Hinata asked. "W-will Naruto-kun be there...?"  
Kurenai sighed. "Naruto will be accompanying you as far as Diagon Alley, then you will remain there with the others until he and Jiraiya return from their task, at which point you will all proceed to Hogwarts together."  
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said quietly, then, hesitantly spoke up again. "When do we leave?"  
"Three days." Gai told her. "You just have to get everything in order within that time and then we'll be departing."  
"Lee, will you be coming?" Neji asked.  
Lee shook his head. "Not yet. Once Naruto and Jiraiya-sama complete their mission though, I should be able to join you all." He smiled, though a bit weakly.   
"Take heart, Lee!" Gai declared. "The fiery spirit of youth and passion can never be overwhelmed!"  
"Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted, crying again. "I won't fail you!"  
"Lee!" Gai shouted as well, and the two embraced once more.  
Kurenai sighed, rolling her eyes, clearly wishing she was anywhere but there at that moment. Neji merely shook his head, used to the antics of his sensei and fellow genin. Hinata giggled quietly, one hand covering her mouth to muffle the sound as her cheeks reddened.  
"At any rate," Kurenai told Hinata after the spectacle had subsided somewhat. "Get what things you'll need. Clothing, equipment. All the usual things you'll need for any mission."  
"Hai, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata bowed, then turned to Neji. "Neji-nii- kun, excuse me." She gave him a small bow as well, then quietly departed into the Hyuuga household.  
"I'll take my leave as well," Neji murmured, incling his head to Gai and Lee, and then excusing himself.  
Kurenai glanced at Gai. "I have to find Shino. You'll excuse me?"  
"Be well, Kurenai-san," Gai nodded, turning to Lee as the two began to walk away, conversing quietly.  
Sasuke gasped for air, his arms hanging limp at his sides as he looked at the rock face before him. Holes and cracks covered it, from where he had struck it repeatedly with the chidori.  
_How much stronger do I need to be?_ His thoughts fell back to the fight with Gaara, where had been a helpless observer as Naruto put forth an inhuman display. How had he done such things?  
"When did I become so weak?" Sasuke screamed, generating another chidori. Without another word, he charged at the wall, a wordless cry tearing from his throat. His open palm slammed into the rock, channeling his rage into the surface. Cracks spiderwebbed out from his palm, the rock wall beginning to collapse. His eyes widened as he began to pull his hand away. He wasn't going to get clear in time.  
"Sasuke-kun!" a voice shouted, hands circling his waist. There was a wrench and he was pulled away from the collapsing rocks. He tumbled to the ground, someone taking the brunt of the fall beneath him.  
"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked breathlessly.  
"Sakura..." Sasuke murmured. "Thank you..." He disengaged from her, then offered his hand to help her up.  
"I wanted to thank you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said. "For saving me from the grip of that sand."  
Sasuke was silent for a moment. "I didn't."  
"What?" Sakura blinked.  
"Naruto was the one who saved you." Sasuke said quietly.  
"Don't be modest, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said dismissively. "I know Naruto's strong..."  
"No. You don't." Sasuke cut her off. "You have no idea how strong he is. You've never noticed him at all. He risked everything to save you. Succeeded where I failed."  
Sakura said nothing, eyes wide, then opened her mouth to speak.  
"Oi, there you two are!" Kakashi called out, walking into view. "Sorry I'm late. Got lost on my way here."  
_Great, another pitiful excuse_. Sasuke grimaced, then spoke. "What's the mission for today, Kakashi?"  
"No mission today," Kakashi replied. "But, we have to go to the Shinobi training center soon. You and Sakura should prepare."  
"Naruto isn't going with us?" Sakura asked.  
"No," Kakashi told her. "Naruto will be on a different mission. You have three days to get your things in order." He spared no other word for them, apparently distracted by something as he walked off.  
"I've got to go get my things in order," Sasuke said, not giving Sakura the opportunity to speak. "I'll see you later."  
Sakura stood there for a moment. "Sasuke-kun..." That said, she too turned to depart, picking her way forlornly through the rubble back to the village.

"I somehow thought I'd find you all here." Asuma said, pushing aside the curtain as he entered the restaurant and focused on Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji. "I have a mission for you to prepare for. Well, Chouji has a mission. And I'd like Shikamaru to go with him."  
"What about me?" Ino demanded.  
"You'll be teaming with Kiba and Tenten while they are gone," Asuma told her, glancing at Chouji. "You and some of the other genin will be going on a mission that will take you away from the village for a while. Shikamaru, I want you to go with Chouji and tutor him."  
"Che...How troublesome..." Shikamaru sighed. "Fine, fine."  
"Why do I have to be teamed up with dog-boy?" Ino demanded, furious.  
"Because there won't be that many genin around while the rest are gone," Asuma interrupted. "Get used to it." He walked off, leaving the genin team to stew over what he had just told them.

"Oi, Ero-sennin!" Naruto complained. "When are you going to teach me a new jutsu?"  
"If you keep calling me ero-sennin," Jiraiya muttered. "Never."  
"Why did you decide to bring me along, anyway?" Naruto asked. "Is it because I'm so talented and cool?"  
"Heh, you wish," Jiraiya snorted. "Why I chose you is my business. Maybe I'll tell you later."  
"Hey, hey!" Naruto said, ignoring that. "What's this jutsu that's stronger than the chidori?"  
"You remember that?" Jiraiya blinked, then looked thoughtful. "Here. Watch." He held out his right hand and began to concentrate. A moment later, chakra began to appear in his hand, rotating slowly, then picking up speed until it was moving so fast that Naruto could barely track the direction it was moving in. When it was fully formed into a perfect sphere, he took his hand, palm out and shoved it against the nearby tree. The spinning ball tore into the wood in a spiralling motion, shredding its way through easily.  
Jiraiya straightened. "Did you see?"  
"There was a lot of spinning..." Naruto said, eyes wide.  
"You've mastered the water walking and tree climbing exercises, right?" Jiraiya asked. "I know you've mastered the water, since I taught you that. With this, you use the tree climbing exercise and release a moderate amount of chakra. Then, you use the water walking exercise and keep it flowing out constantly. Then, with it flowing, you spin it around constantly." He produced a water balloon and tossed it to Naruto.  
"Eh, what's this?" Naruto asked.  
"Use that. Channel the chakra into the water of the balloon. When you can make the balloon explode from the spinning motion, a constant spinning, mind, then you've mastered the first part of this." Jiraiya told him.  
"Ero-sennin, what's this called?"  
"Rasengan." Jiraiya replied. "Now, there's more balloons in that box over there. Keep at it. But don't get discouraged. This is an a-rank jutsu and not just anyone can learn it."  
"I'll master this in one week!" Naruto told him, concentrating on the balloon.  
Jiraiya turned his head to look at Naruto. "Yondaime invented this technique. It took him three years to perfect this jutsu. That should give you an idea of how difficult it is."  
Naruto stopped focusing on the balloon, his eyes latching onto Jiraiya. "Yondaime..." After a moment, he grinned.  
"Alright! I really will master this in a week and prove I'm worthy of being Hokage!" he shouted.  
"Good luck," Jiraiya said, trying not to laugh as Naruto set to work.

Shino paused in the middle of the clearing, then stopped. "Kurenai- sensei?"  
"How'd you know I was here?" Kurenai asked, stepping out into the clearing as well. "I made no sound."  
"Your scent," Shino murmured. "It is pleasing to them."  
Kurenai nodded. "I've come to tell you about your mission."  
"Neji, Hinata, Chouji, Shikamaru, Naruto, and I will be leaving the village on a mission to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for a length of time that is unspecified. Several of the jounin as well as Jiraiya-sama will be our escort. Kakashi will be taking Sakura and Sasuke to the Shinobi training center, but will accompany us part of the way." Shino stated. "I know."  
"How did you find out?" Kurenai asked, unsurprised, but curious.  
Shino made a barely noticeable motion that might have been a shrug. "They see everything, and thus, so do I."  
"Anyway, you know when you're leaving then?" At his nod, Kurenai took a step back. "I'll leave you to your preparations then." She launched herself into the trees and was gone.  
Shino stood there for a moment, allowing himself a faint smile before going back to his training.

The sun was setting as legendary shinobi, Jiraiya, engaged in his favorite past-time. Peeping at the women's baths. It was a delicate task, one that required stealth, patience, and above all, silence.  
"Oi, Ero-sennin!" Naruto screamed. "Aren't you going to at least give me a hint?" Which is why loudmouth shinobi where usually not invited on such a mission.  
"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" Jiraiya cackled, peering through his telescope at the women's baths some distance away. "Konoha's women are the best."  
Naruto's shoulders slumped. "He's ignoring me. IDIOT ERO-SENNIN!"  
"Keep it down, would you?" Jiraiya retorted. "You'll give me away."  
The water balloon smacked against the his head. "Pay attention, ero- sennin!"  
"Geez," Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head. "Why didn't you just ask for my help?"  
"That's what I've been doing!" Naruto shouted.  
"Have you mastered the first stage yet?" Jiraiya asked, straightening to regard the young genin.  
"Well, no..." Naruto began.  
"Then you don't need my help yet," Jiraiya said, turning back to face the baths. "I can't help you until you figure it out for yourself." He extended the telescope again and began peeping once more, occasionally cackling to himself.  
"Maybe I should have gotten Kakashi-sensei to train me." Naruto muttered, picking up another water balloon. _Concentrate. Focus the chakra in your hand and start it moving until the balloon bursts from the spinning_. He frowned as the balloon stretched flat, the water inside clearly moving, but not doing anything more than forcing the rubber out into a flat disc.  
Jiraiya turned slightly, watching Naruto while continuing to gather information for his novel. After a moment, he sighed. "That's all wrong. Stop." He walked over to where the young man stood.  
"Going to help at last?" Naruto snarked, releasing the chakra in his hand. Jiraiya said nothing, merely reaching out to lay one hand on Naruto's head and tilt it forward.  
"Hey, hey! What are you doing?" he demanded.  
"As I thought." Jiraiya murmured, crouching down and letting go. "Understand. Your body's chakra rotates in a certain way, depending on various things. It could be left, or right. Your chakra rotates to the right. The thing you must do to master this stage is make it rotate against its nature. The disruption will cause the balloon to pop."  
"Which way does my chakra rotate?" Naruto demanded. "And how can you tell?"  
"Your hair," Jiraiya replied. "Your hair tells me which way your chakra rotates. In your case, it rotates to the right. So you want your chakra to rotate to the left while keeping it within the confines of the sphere."  
Naruto nodded slowly. _This is a lot harder than I thought it would be._ "Alright! Just watch me, ero-sennin, I'll do it!"  
"Sure, sure." Jiraiya waved a hand absently. "Keep at it. I'll be right over here." That said, he went back to peeping. Naruto glared at him for a moment, then returned his focus to the balloon.  
It was fully dark when the pair headed back into town. Jiraiya smiling, as if amused by something and Naruto barely able to keep up, having exhausted himself in his attempts to master the first stage.  
"Oi, ero-sennin..." Naruto muttered. "This is pretty hard..."  
"I told you that, fool," Jiraiya snorted. "Who was it who said they'd learn to do it in a week?"  
"I take that back..." he replied, then fell flat on his face. Jiraiya stopped, nudging him with one foot lightly. A second later, Naruto began to snore.  
"Heh. What a cute kid." Jiraiya said, bending down and picking Naruto up. Humming to himself, he began carrying the genin back into the village. Without being slowed down by the exhausted boy, Jiraiya had him in his bed in short order.  
"Sleep well, Uzumaki Naruto..." he said, quietly closing the door and heading outside.

"What is it, Ebisu?" Jiraiya asked as he stepped out into the street.  
"Jiraiya-sama," Ebisu dropped down near him, kneeling. "I was curious to see how your training of the boy was going."  
"He's an irritating loudmouthed brat." Jiraiya said with a sigh. "But, he tries hard and grasps principles quickly, which is surprising, given what I saw of his records in the academy."  
"He is a better teacher than I," Ebisu said quietly. "I was so puffed up with my importance of being Konohamaru's tutor that I failed to see that I was teaching him nothing but puffing his opinion of himself up."  
"Oi, Ebisu," Jiraiya said, slinging a arm around his shoulders companionably. "Don't get so depressed. Come with me, I know what we can do to cheer you up."  
"Er... Jiraiya-sama, I really should go and tend to Konohamaru-san..." Ebisu said, trying to free himself from the larger man's arm.  
"Nonsense!" Jiraiya declared. "We're going to broaden your horizons a bit and show you some things you've never seen before. I promise you, this will be an experience you'll never forget."  
"Jiraiya-sama..." Ebisu protested, cringing at the grin on the shinobi's face. Still protesting, he was led off into the night by the older man.

Several hours later, Jiraiya looked down at Ebisu's comatose body and sighed. He noted the blood splattered against the wall and the small trickle coming from the jounin's nose.  
"Lightweight," Jiraiya muttered, hefting the jounin over his shoulder and setting out to take the unconscious jounin home.

Hyuuga Neji liked spending time out in the forests outside of the village proper. It allowed him to test the full range of his Byakugan and practice without the irritation the presence of large numbers of people caused him.  
"Ready, Neji-san?" Tenten asked, sliding into a crouch as he nodded. She leapt into the air, kunai and shuriken flying from her hands at her fellow genin. As expected, he executed the kaiten, deflecting all of her weapons. Tenten grinned to herself as she performed several seals. "Kage Kunai no jutsu!"  
Immediately, several other kunai appeared, soaring at Neji as he came out of the spin. Unsurprised, but mentally applauding Tenten's tactic, Neji released chakra, but did not execute another spin, instead just stopping the kunai and grabbing them for a return throw. As he expected, the kunai struck only a tree. Tenten had taken up a defensive position. Reactivating his Byakugan, Neji scanned the area for her. There! He pushed off the ground, aiming for a tree nearby that had revealed itself as her hiding place.  
"It's over," he said, as his palm struck her chest. Tenten grinned, then exploded in a cloud of smoke, revealing a log.  
_Kawarimi._ Neji drew back, intending to reassess the situation when he felt the prick of a kunai at his neck.  
"Bang." Tenten grinned. "You're dead."  
"How did you...?" Neji asked, straightening.  
"Genjutsu." She smiled. "I was there when you saw me, but after that, you saw only what you expected to see." She smiled again, then jumped down from the tree, followed closely by Neji.  
"So you're leaving soon?" she asked after a moment as they began walking along the trail back toward the village.  
"Yes," Neji replied. "Some foolish mission. Several of the genin are being dispatched. I volunteered to go as Hinata-sama's protector."  
Tenten stopped, and it was a moment before Neji noticed. "Tenten?"  
"You're going...as her protector?" Tenten asked, an undecipherable note in her voice.  
"I did a terrible thing to her." Neji told her quietly. "I have to make amends."  
Tenten didn't speak for a moment. "Just be careful, please?"  
"I shall do my best." He murmured. "And that goes for you as well."  
Tenten's smile returned and the two walked down the trail in silence.

For the second time in as many days, the Jounin were gathered in the conference room.  
"Well?" Jiraiya prompted. "Which of the genin did you decide on and which of you will be accompanying them so that they don't get into too much trouble while Naruto and I are tracking down Tsunade?"  
Asuma spoke first. "Neji. Chouji. Shikamaru. Hinata. Shino."  
"As for who will be accompanying you...." Anko murmured. "I'll go."  
This caused a stir, then Gai spoke. "I'm going to remain behind and join you once Lee is recovered."  
"Asuma and I will look after the remaining genin." Kurenai murmured.  
"I'll be going, but only as far Sunagakure before I take Sasuke and Sakura to the training center." Kakashi murmured, not looking up from his book.  
"I would like to accompany you as well." Another voice spoke, as Ebisu entered the room, looking decidedly pale.  
"Oi, Ebisu," Jiraiya shook his head. "Didn't expect to see you up and about so soon."  
"...Jiraiya-sama," Ebisu inclined his head. "Is that acceptable?"  
"It's fine." Jiraiya nodded. "Anyone else?"  
"Che," a voice snorted from the back. "I'll go as well." Genma stood up so he was visible, looking irritated as he chewed on his toothpick.  
"Think the three of you can handle five genin for a week or more?" Jiraiya inquired, ignoring everyone else in the room now that he had volunteers.  
"Are we allowed to exert necessary force if they get rowdy?" Anko replied, cracking her knuckles.  
"Do whatever you feel is required," Jiraiya told her dismissively. "Just make sure they're all still in one piece before we take passage to the school."  
"Why are we going through the sand village?" Genma asked. "I know they surrendered and we accepted, but..."  
"That is begging for trouble." Ebisu agreed.  
Jiraiya shrugged. "It will be fine. I've taken steps to tend to that. And I need to speak with some of my contacts while there."  
"You have contacts in the Sand?" Kurenai asked, incredulous.  
"I have contacts everywhere." Jiraiya replied, giving her a look. "I'm not just the pervert I appear to be. Nor did I waste all the time I spent traveling."  
Kurenai answered by glaring, but said nothing as Genma stood. "I'll go get my things in order." He exited the room, followed shortly by Ebisu and Anko. A moment later, after giving Kurenai another glare, Jiraiya departed as well.

Naruto woke about a half hour before he was set to leave. He blinked groggily, staring at his right hand, which was trembling.  
_This is a even harder than it was before ero-sennin explained it._ He pushed himself out of bed, tended to his morning routine, got dressed and headed out, whistling to himself as he did so.  
"Oi! Hinata!" he called out, spotting the shy girl. "How are you?"  
"Naruto-kun..." she said, eyes widening, then glanced back along the street she had stepped off of. "Anou..."  
"Hinata...?" Naruto paused, then his eyes caught on who was behind her. Neji.  
"This punk isn't bothering you again, is he, Hinata?" Naruto asked, his backpack starting to slip off his shoulders as he tensed, glaring at the older genin.  
"N-n-no," Hinata stammered. "Neji-nii-kun is my protector for the mission I'm going on."  
Naruto relaxed slightly. "You two made up?"  
"Yes." Hinata nodded vigorously, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two boys.  
"I must thank you, as well, Uzumaki Naruto," Neji said quietly. "You opened my eyes."  
"Eh, don't worry about it," Naruto said with a grin, relaxed now. "Just try to chill out a little."  
"Where were you going, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.  
"Oh, gotta report to the west gate and meet the ero-sennin for some mission or another." Naruto said.  
Neji and Hinata exchanged a look. "That's where we are going as well."  
"Oh?" Naruto blinked. "Well, let's go!" Cheering loudly, Naruto set out ahead of the three. Hinata giggled at the display and Neji merely shook his head, sighing.  
"How did that loudmouth ever beat me?" he wondered, a wry tone to his voice. Naruto stopped, turned, and gave Neji a dirty look before grinning and starting off again. Hinata giggled once more as Neji sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino were already waiting at the west gate with Genma when the Hyuuga cousins and Naruto arrived.  
"It's a mission with Naruto?" Shikamaru muttered. "How troublesome."  
"Shikamaru! Hey!" Naruto called out. "Not still mad about the exam, are you?"  
"You are entirely too high-strung and exciteable." Shikamaru replied. "You could hurt somebody doing things like that."  
"Good morning, Naruto," Chouji murmured, slowly eating from a bag of chips.  
"Hey, Chouji," Naruto waved, glancing at Genma. "You were the referee, weren't you?"  
"Yo, brat." Genma raised a hand. "Glad to see you're still in one piece. You and Neji there put on quite a show."  
"I see you're all here. Except for Jiraiya-sama." Another voice said.  
Naruto turned. "What are you doing here, closet-pervert?"  
Ebisu caught Naruto in a quick headlock. "All the ramen you can eat later if you never mention that again!"  
"You better keep your promise!" Naruto replied. He staggered as Ebisu released him.  
"Actually, I am one of your escorts for this mission," Ebisu announced. "Myself, Genma-san there and..."  
"Me!" a cloud of smoke exploded in the gate. "Mitarashi Anko, jounin examiner, has arrived!"  
"Augh! It's the crazy lady again!" Naruto pointed, screaming.  
"Che...it's that loudmouth punk," Anko muttered. The two started glaring at each other, insults streaming from their mouths.  
"We're just waiting on Jiraiya-sama, then," Ebisu said, shaking his head at the display.  
"Ero-sennin's probably peeping at the baths again," Naruto said, turning away from Anko to share that fact. "That's all the pervert ever does."  
"Naruto!" Jiraiya's voice snapped. "You do not disrespect your sensei in such a manner before others!" Jiraiya stepped out from a nearby vendor stand, a bag slung across his shoulder.  
"Everyone here?" He looked around, confirming the head count. "Good. Let's go. We have a long journey ahead and little time in which to get to where we're going." That said, he turned on his heel and started through the gates, humming to himself. Conversations striking up between the various members of the party, they all followed, leaving Konohagakure behind.


	2. The Dusty and Most Decrepit House of Bla...

A/N: Bleh. Chapter was a pain. Here it is. Enjoy.

As always, the cast of Naruto belong to Kishimoto Masashi and the cast of Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. Used without permission.

The Griffin and the Fox  
  
Chapter 2  
  
To Diagon Alley 1 – The Dusty and Very Decrepit House of Black  
  
The interior of Twelve Grimmauld Place was a nightmare. In fact, it looked like something out of a horror movie. The sort where a group of travelers would come across the abandoned house and subsequently become prey for whatever hellish monster resided within its walls. Every table was covered in dust cloths. The portraits as well, though Hermione supposed that would be to keep them from getting depressed at the stark emptiness within the estate itself. She had seen, in her four years at Hogwarts, the sort of behavior that the portraits could resort to if they were depressed or lonely. Or just plain mad, she thought with a chuckle, recalling Sir Cadigan, who had taken the Fat Lady's place during the third year.  
Worst of all was the house elf, Kreacher, who detested her and spurned any attempts she had made to befriend him. He spent his time glowering at her and those that came and went from the house. He appeared to loathe everyone, even the man who was now the sole owner of the manor, Sirius Black. Shaking her head clear of the troubling relationship between the former Marauder and his household's only remaining elf, Hermione quietly made her way up the stairs, toward the room at the end of the hall. The Black Family Library.  
_"So when was this house built?" Hermione asked, looking around curiously.  
Sirius turned to regard her, his expression one of bewilderment. "I'll make a deal with you. If I let you into the library, will you stop asking me questions about this house? You can look at anything, have anything in there, all you have to do is stop."  
As the grin spread across Hermione's face and she held out her hand, Sirius wondered if he had made a mistake with that offer.  
_ Smiling to herself, Hermione pocketed the key as the door swung open. Glancing around, she stepped in, sighing as the lights came on and the fireplace flared to life, then died down to a soft crackle, for those who wished to read by the fireplace. Whichever member of the Black Family that had put the library in had spared no effort in its construction. Spells were set to illuminate the room whenever someone entered and responded to requests to alterations in the light as needed. It was, all in all, a very pleasant place in an otherwise depressing house. The fact that there appeared to be a routine scourgify charm in place to keep it clean was a feature in its favor.  
"If only the rest of the house had that." Hermione muttered, fingers drifting across the spines of the books as she moved between the shelves, a blissful expression replacing her frown as she found the one she had marked as her next target.  
"A Recent History of World Wide Wizards, Angharad Compase." Hermione read aloud. "Probably just as much tripe as the others." She flipped it open to the table of contents and scanned it with a thoughtful expression.  
"Shinobi?" she blinked as she read the title of the fourth chapter. "Why...." She shook her head, pushing the question aside. The book should have answers. Without another thought for it, she went to the chair by the window, her prize clutched close to her chest and settled down, her attention on the outside world dwindling as she opened the book and began to read.  
  
_ The Shinobi are one of the lesser known wizarding cultures, though they will disagree that they are wizards. (Certainly the Ministry of Magic will deny all evidence of their existence, as this author learned while researching the subject.) However, despite pressure from government officials to abandon the line of inquiry, this author persevered and has brought you this account of Latere folium pagus, or, as the residents call it, Konohagakure.(Pronounced Ko-no-ha-ga-ku-re.)  
_  
Hermione arched an eyebrow skeptically at this paragraph, then shook her head and continued on.  
  
_ The exact location of the Hidden Village of the Leaf I cannot divulge, for in truth, I do not know. My entry into the village occurred after a period of waiting, where I was escorted, blindfold and under guard into the village after travelling for several days. Thus, this author can only speculate upon the location of the village, which she judges to be somewhere in eastern China, beyond the Gobi Desert. More than that, I cannot say.  
_  
A pause and then Hermione reread the paragraph, her left eyebrow beginning to twitch. "Who was the editor of this pretentious twaddle?"  
  
_ Established somewhere around one hundred years ago, in the middle of what they call 'The Great Wars'. (This author can only assume that they refer to the Troubles, when the Chinese Sorcerer, Lo Pan, made his first bid for power and the chaos that surrounded.), Konoha is a village unlike any I have seen before. The area it covers is massive, streets bustling with people going about their daily business. After acclimating myself to the distinctly Japanese bent to their culture (one of the many oddities present, the entire village is clearly Japanese, but is situated somewhere deep in rural China. However, no one would speak on the origins of the village's founder.) The village itself is a curious mix of the past and present. Transportation, such as those used by those not gifted with magical ability are nowhere to be found, but other means of travel clearly exist, but, as with many things about Konoha, the exact nature of their transportation methods were, at the time, a mystery to me.  
Indeed, the entire village appears shockingly mundane. There is no evidence of magic to be found anywhere and I began to wonder why the Ministry of Magic had been so intent on denying my efforts to research the Shinobi. So, after receiving little information beyond a rote recitation of the founding of the village, I began to search, intent on peeling back the layers shrouding the mystery of this curious village.  
_  
"This woman," Hermione muttered. "Is an idiot."  
  
_ One of the things that had me perplexed was the apparent lack of any sort of industry. There appeared to be no means by which the village sustained itself. Puzzled, I began investigating on my own. The first focus of my investigation was the Academy, where the young of Konoha are taught. What I found there, painted, to be frank, a disturbing picture.  
The children of Konoha are, as soon as they can walk, trained as weapons. The entire village is supported by the mercenary activities of the Ninja, who are taught lethal skills from an early age and exist as little more than cold-blooded assassins.  
_  
Hermione closed the book in disgust. "What utter garbage. I cannot believe someone allowed this woman's tripe to be published!" She threw the book at the door, gasping as it opened to reveal Sirius, who had just enough time to deftly catch the book.  
"Did it upset you that much?" he asked, looking at the spine curiously.  
"The author of that book is a complete idiot. She has no concept of how to write at all and her editor is an idiot as well for letting that trash be published without heavy revisions!" Hermione fumed, rising from her seat to stalk through the shelves.  
"Let me guess," Sirius murmured, flipping through the book idly. "The Shinobi section, right?"  
The brunette's head tilted back from one side of the shelving, looking at Sirius. "How did you know?"  
"That's why I bought it...well, had Remus buy it." He bounced the book on one hand. "I have an...interest in the Shinobi."  
"Are there any useful books on them in here?" Hermione demanded.  
"Sadly, no." Sirius replied. "But I know a little about them." He chuckled darkly.  
She stepped out from between the shelves, a frown creasing her features. "It's not something you want to talk about, is it?"  
Sirius shrugged. "It was a long time ago. I try to keep my ears open for information about them after I visited Hidden Stone Village."  
"You were at one of their villages?" Hermione peered at him suspiciously. "And you're not pulling some prank on me, are you?"  
"Yes, I was. No, I'm not." Sirius answered. "During my time at Hogwarts, I was forced to spend several summers among the hidden village of stone." He paused, his eyes going distant. "To further my knowledge of combat and other 'useful skills'. I suppose I shouldn't think on that time so badly, since it was one of those skills that helped me survive Azkaban, but...it was something my family made me do."  
She looked at him for a moment. "Were you going to use those to kill him?"  
He blinked, then met her gaze. "That's a very personal question." After a moment, however, he looked away first.  
"I'm sorry." Hermione said. "It was presumptious of me."  
Sirius waved a hand absently. "Forget it. Let's talk about Shinobi instead." He held up the book. "I'm sure you're wondering how much of this was actual tripe and how much fact buried under the condescending babble of that woman?"  
"Pretentious twaddle." Hermione corrected. "Babble isn't as bad as what's in there."  
He chuckled, thumbing through the book. "Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix and I were all sent to Hidden Stone in the hopes we'd learn useful skills for our future as dark wizards. We all thought it was rubbish, really, since they didn't teach us much of anything beyond a few physical combat skills and some concentration aids. Said it was too hard to try and teach us when we weren't born into that life."  
Hermione looked up at him, catching something in his voice. "One of those was useful, wasn't it?"  
Sirius glanced at her, then away once more. "Yes. I told Harry that it wasn't a happy thought that kept me sane in Azkaban. And while that's true, it isn't the whole truth. If it weren't for the concentration techniques I had learned, I'd have never been able to focus on that one thing to the exclusion of all else and screened them out."  
"How did..." Hermione began, then stopped herself. "No, never mind. Let's see what we can do to get something to eat."  
"Food, how I've missed thee," Sirius declared dramatically. "To be without thine succulent presence is to be denied the sun."  
She gave him a look. "Harry's never told you that you're very strange, has he?"  
"No..." Sirius murmured.  
"Well, you are." Flashing a grin at him, she descended down the stairs toward the kitchen. "Very, very strange."  
"So they've said about me." The adult chuckled. "In fact, they always thought I was positively queer."  
She looked back over her shoulder at him. "And you're proud of this fact?"  
"That they never knew what to expect from me?" Sirius nodded. "Never let them know what to expect, Hermione. That leads to being boring. And boring usually equals dead."  
Hermione started to say something, but stopped as an owl flew in, bearing a note clasped in its talons.  
  
_ "Ms. Granger,  
  
We hope this missive finds you in good health, enclosed you shall find your required books for your fifth year of attendance at Hogwarts.  
As usual, you will need the books for the courses you have chosen, in addition, due to a guest professor who will be joining us, you are required to seek out Kurosawa and Li's_ A History of the Shinobi, One Thousand Years of Strife._ This text will be required for your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes this year._  
  
Sincerely,  
_Professor Minerva McGongagall,  
_ Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts

Hermione's eyes widened as she read the letter, then read it again, before looking up and passing it to Sirius. "Do you have that book?"  
Sirius looked the note over. "No, no, I don't. I know where to find it, though."  
"Flourish & Blotts?" she asked hopefully.  
Sirius shook his head. "No. There's a shop on Knockturn Alley. It sits next to this creepy broom shop. They keep it stocked."  
"Creepy?" Hermione asked, incredulous. "How can a broom shop be creepy?"  
"This guy makes brooms from things like the Whomping Willow." Sirius shuddered. "That's an experience I don't care to repeat."  
"How...never mind." Hermione shook her head. "I really don't want to know."  
"You really don't." Sirius agreed. "So, you're going into Diagon Alley to pick up your books?"  
She decided she didn't like the look in his eyes as he asked that. "Yes... why?"  
"Well, I figured you'd need your faithful protector Snuffles to come with you, in the event you need to go down and retrieve that book." Sirius explained.  
"Absolutely not," Hermione told him firmly. "It's too dangerous."  
"I have been cooped up here for weeks," Sirius replied. "Snuffles is coming with you. Whether you like it or not."  
She sighed. "I could get Professor Lupin, you know."  
"Seriously, Hermione," Sirius said, a touch of desperation in his voice. "I really do need to get out of here for a little while. Please?"  
Silent for a moment, Hermione slowly nodded. "Fine. But you go as Snuffles. You do not come out of that form for any reason, whatsoever. Are we clear?"  
"Yes, mom." Sirius Black muttered, giving her an amused look. "Gather your things, so we can go."  
Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned on her heel, heading toward her room to gather the few things she would need, hoping that this wasn't a terrible mistake. She stopped, then glanced back at Sirius.  
"If Flourish and Blotts doesn't have it, we'll see about going down there, but don't get your hopes up."

-  
  
"Oi, Ero-sennin," Naruto muttered, adjusting his backpack. "How much further do we have to go? I'm tired."  
"Fool!" Jiraiya retorted. "You're a terrible ninja if you can't deal with a little training."  
"You call that a little training?" Naruto shouted. "You're the fool!"  
Jiraiya ignored him, stopping at a brick wall before them. With a frown, he tapped several of the bricks in a pattern, then smiled approvingly as the wall began to move, shifting and folding in on itself until it formed an arch.  
"How the hell did it do that?" the hyperactive ninja demanded. "Oi, ero-sennin? How'd it do that?"  
"It's magic, stupid." Jiraiya told him, walking through the archway without waiting for Naruto, who followed, muttering questions about the entrance. He ignored them all. "It's late. What do you think about finding someplace to sleep and meeting up with the others tomorrow?" he asked as they walked down the mostly empty streets.  
"Sounds good." Naruto said, forgetting his earlier complaints as he yawned.  
"This way then." Jiraiya nodded, leading them down the road. "I know a place we can stay, then. It'll be just like home."

-  
  
Naruto stuck his hands behind his head as he looked around. The ero- sennin was still sleeping off his hangover and so he'd taken the opportunity to go looking around without the stupid hermit looking over his shoulder. He didn't have much in the way of the money used here, so he mostly wandered in and out of the shops, eyes wide at many of the things there. He continued wandering around, humming to himself and not really paying attention as he descended a set of steps.  
"Ah...fresh meat..." he heard someone murmur. He lowered his arms, looking around to find himself surrounded by a group of incredibly scruffy looking people in bizarre clothes.  
"Hello, little boy." The middle-aged woman said, reaching one hand out, almost claw-like.  
"Go away, ya old hag." Naruto snorted.  
"The pup has bark." One of them behind him said, drawing laughter from all the rest.  
Cracking his knuckles, Naruto looked around at them, weighing the odds. "Alright. Let's make this quick." He brought his hands together in a seal.  
_ "Henge!"_

_-  
_  
Hermione emerged from Flourish and Blotts, the cart of books floating along behind her. She glanced at the steps, where Snuffles had been waiting when she'd gone in. He wasn't there.  
"Now where did that dog wander off to?" Hermione muttered, glancing around. Sighing, she started down Diagon Alley, glancing around for any sign of Snuffles. She was just about to pass the entrance to Knockturn Alley when a tremendous gust of wind ripped up from the narrow passage. Startled, she managed to grab hold of her skirt as the winds tore at it and then a shadow passed over her. She looked up in time to see someone slam into the wall opposite the entrance. Curious now, she rushed forward to see what was going on. Her eyes widened at the site of the slender blonde, who was, for some reason, completely naked. She was surrounded by a loose circle of Knockturn Alley's denizens, most of whom were unconscious, apparently from having their noses busted.  
Hermione frowned at the scene, her eyes scanning the area and stopping on the one man who was pushing himself up, wand held with the clear intent to fire off a spell at the girl.  
"Look out!" Hermione found herself shouting, her own wand dropping into her hand. _"Protego!"_ The shield sprung into existence, blocking the streak of purple fire that had been aimed for the girl's back. Flashing a grateful look at her, the blonde turned and kicked the man between the legs, drawing a collective groan for the crowd. Grabbing her cloak, Hermione started down the steps, watching as the girl cracked her knuckles and scared off the remaining attackers.  
"Come on." She said, settling the cloak around the girl's shoulders. She backed up a step as the girl's arm came up, ready for a punch until she recognized Hermione.  
"Um..." the girl said, embarassed. "Thanks for your help."  
"Never mind that." Hermione said briskly, her trepidation forgotten. "Save your thanks until we've got you out of here. Hold that cloak tight and come with me. Why were you wandering in Knockturn Alley, anyway?" She grabbed the girl's hand and lead her through the dispersing crowd, just ahead of the quickly arriving Aurors.  
"I got lost." She muttered. "And what's Knockturn Alley?"  
"I'll explain once we're away from here and have gotten you some clothes." Hermione looked as if she were about to stop, but chose not to and continued on, not relinquishing her hold on the girl's hand. "What happened to yours?"  
"Well, they attacked me..." the girl began.  
"I see." Hermione replied, muttering to herself and thus, not hearing the girl's mumbled statements. She lead the girl into the Leaky Cauldron, catching the faint look of panic as the girl noticed someone in the ground floor, but not stopping to see who as she all but dragged the girl up the stairs to the room she'd taken while she was here.  
Flustered, the girl nearly stumbled as Hermione finally came to a stop. "Now, then. Are you hurt? Do you need a mediwizard?"  
"No, I'm not hurt." The girl said, raising one hand slightly, then dropping it.  
"They didn't do anything to you, did they?" Hermione asked, businesslike as she shuffled about the room, going through her trunk and the wardrobe within the room. "I mean, they obviously took your clothes somehow. Was it a jinx?"  
"Um. Yeah. About that..." she began.  
"Here." Hermione pressed one of her older robes into the girl's arms. "We're about the same size. That should fit you until we can get you some clothes. Where are your parents?"  
"Don't have any." The girl muttered, glancing at the floor.  
"Running off to Knockturn Alley to rebel against your guardians then?" Hermione asked, a note of disapproval in her voice.  
"I told you." She replied, her eyes flashing. "I got lost. This is my first time here. Didn't know the place was dangerous."  
"No one tried to stop you? You're clearly underage."  
"The stupid fool's still sleeping it off." The girl muttered, the sullen look at the floor returning.  
"I...see." Hermione frowned, at a loss. "Well, get dressed. I'll be waiting outside, then we'll go see about getting you back to your guardian." She headed over to the door, noting the odd facial markings the girl had, like whiskers, as she glanced back at her before closing the door.

-  
  
Naruto waited until the door was closed, then tossed the robes the girl had given him onto the bed. Quickly pushing the window up, she glanced around, dispelling the henge and dropping onto the nearby rooftop and heading off back toward the inn he'd been staying with Jiraiya. With his luck, Neji had seen him being dragged upstairs when in the common room. He'd seen the genin there, sitting in a corner with their jounin escorts, and had almost turned and ran, but for the girl's grip on his hand.  
"Crap." He muttered. "I didn't get her name." He smiled a bit. She'd been nice, if a bit bossy. His smile broadening, he dropped down into the street, noticing the flutter of the cloak as he landed.  
"...." Shaking his head, he removed the dark cloak, folding it neatly and stuffing it into his backpack before calmly walking into the inn where the ero-sennin was.  
"Where have you been?" Jiraiya called out, sitting a table in the common area. "I told you to bring breakfast."  
"I got busy, ero-sennin." Naruto muttered. "Quit yer complaining. You're eating, aren't you?"  
"Che! No thanks to you." The white haired man rolled his eyes. "You really are nothing like Yondaime in personality. He, at least, had manners." Jiraiya gestured for him to sit. "Where have you been?" the elder asked again as he watched Naruto help himself to the food spread out on the table between them.  
Naruto, surprisingly, turned red and stared at the food intently. "Nowhere special. Got a bit lost. Met someone who gave me some directions." That was true, sort of.  
Jiraiya snorted. "And that's why you're beet red? You can do better than that."  
"It's none of your business, ero-sennin!" Naruto snapped, rising. "I'm going to go find the others. I think I saw Neji when I was wandering." He stalked off without a further word, leaving Jiraiya staring after his back with a faintly curious expression that turned into a smirk once the boy was gone.  
"Met a girl, did he?" Jiraiya chuckled, returning to his food. After a short time, he rose, leaving the money for the food on the table and set out, looking around. It had been a while since he'd been here to London and he too wanted to look around before joining up with the others. Glancing around quickly, he ducked into a nearby alley, cackling to himself.  
"Just a quick look." He murmured quietly, bouncing up onto the roof before he could be spotted and crossing over toward the baths on Shikigami Way. Without breaking stride, he dropped silently into the most advantageous position and glanced through his ready made peephole. "Still here, even. Sloppy, sloppy." After a few minutes of watching the baths, he stilled, becoming aware of an observer. Turning his head slightly, he found himself face to face with a very large black dog.  
"...Hello." He said after a moment. "Come to watch too, have you?"  
The dog said nothing, merely lolling its tongue as it sat down on its haunches.  
"Well, fine, but I'm not moving so you can have a better look. You'll have to make do on your own."  
The dog still said nothing.  
"You're a terrible conversationalist." Jiraiya remarked. "But, as peeping accomplices go, you're not half bad. Quiet, at least." He tilted his gaze at the dog. "You are going to be quiet, aren't you?"  
The dog nodded solemnly.  
"Good. Nothing like that noisy brat." He said. "Always yelling and getting me caught. Had a perfect record before he came along, now I have to make up training exercises just to keep him occupied so I can research in peace. Know all about that, though, don't you?"  
The dog's head shook in a negative.  
"No disobedient and disrespectful brats floating around that you have to take care of?" Jiraiya smirked. "Count yourself lucky, then." He took a deep breath, then rose. "Well, time for me to get back to business. It's been fun. Oh, and..." He bent down to look at the dog closely.  
The dog matched his gaze.  
"I won't tell if you don't." Jiraiya cackled, turning to go. "Later, then." He walked off, humming to himself. After a moment, he glared down at the dog, who had fallen into step with him.  
The dog grinned up at him.  
Jiraiya sighed. "Ah...one of those types, are we? Thinking you'll get a treat because I was nice to you, I bet."  
The dog nodded.  
"Sorry, no treats today." Jiraiya smirked, starting up onto Diagon Alley. The dog continued to follow him, but its gaze was no longer fixed on him. Raising an eyebrow, Jiraiya followed the line of sight to a trio of teenagers. "Friends of yours?"  
The dog didn't bother to reply, merely walking forward. Honestly curious, Jiraiya followed.

-   
  
"Stupid pervert." Naruto muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as he trudged down the road back up toward Diagon Alley. He made the right turn that would take him back by the place he'd seen Neji. "Thinks he has to know everything. Always butting in, never telling me anything. Figure it yourself, he says, it's good for you." He continued muttering, not paying attention to anything else.  
"I'm telling you, Ron, she was about my height, with blonde hair." A familiar voice said, right before his shoulder smacked against someone.  
"Excuse, mate." Someone told him.  
Naruto snarled, looking up at a considerably taller red-headed boy. "Watch where you're going." His eyes flicked across to the red-head's companions, a shorter boy with messy black hair and...her.  
".....Sorry, my fault." He shoved past them without another word, wishing he wasn't a shinobi and able to tell that she was watching him go.  
Hermione stood there for a moment, frowning, then turned back to Ron and Harry. "Anyway, I was going to help her get back to her guardian, but when I came back into the room, she was gone. And she'd taken my cloak with her."  
"Probably a dark witch or something." Ron muttered. "The whole thing sounds suspicious, if you ask me. Naked in the middle of Knockturn Alley?"  
"You see dark wizards under the bed, Ron." Hermione retorted, glancing at Harry for an opinion.  
The Boy Who Lived said nothing for a moment. "She didn't take anything else, did she?"  
"No, just my cloak." Hermione confirmed.  
"I wouldn't worry about it then. It isn't the weirdest thing we've seen and maybe she's going to be at Hogwarts, you could get your cloak back then." He said.  
"I suppose." Hermione replied, frowning before glancing back through the crowd for any sign of the boy Ron had bumped into. "Anyway. How was your summer, Harry?"  
"Dreadful." Harry answered, glum. "The Dursleys made me do housework all the time until I was able to head over to the Burrow and finish the rest of the summer with Ron."  
Nodding, Hermione's eyes widened as she spotted Snuffles. "There you are. I've been worried about you."  
"Is this your...dog, then?" the man next to him said. Hermione glanced upward, eyes widening at the imposing figure. He had spikey white hair, gathered in a ponytail that reached halfway down his back and was still rather spikey then as well. A metal headband covered his forehead, a Japanese symbol etched onto it. And, oddest of all, what looked like an oversized scroll was fastened onto his lower back.  
"That's right." Hermione nodded, cautious.  
"Good dog, he is." The man said, bending down to rub Snuffles' back. "Knows how to keep a secret, he does." With a faintly disturbing smile, the man rose again.  
"Well, I've got places to be, so, now that I've reunited you with your friend, I'll be on my way. Ja." With that, he slipped past them, whistling to himself as he disappeared into the crowd, though his hair remained visible for some time until he had rounded a corner and was gone.  
"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron asked, confused.  
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, then Harry spoke. "He knew."  
"What?" Ron glanced at them.  
"About Snuffles." Hermione added, exasperated. "Come on. We'd better get back. I knew this was a bad idea."  
"I'll take him." Someone said. All three teens turned, expressions of trepidation changing to relief, then guilt.  
Remus Lupin stood there, his hand firmly on Snuffles' neck, and looking quite displeased. "I'm not going to mention this to anyone, but I am very disappointed in you, Hermione. You know it's dangerous for Snuffles to go out due to his fragile disposition."  
Hermione nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Professor."  
"Now, you three go along and finish your shopping. I'll take care of Snuffles here." He gave the dog a little squeeze, eliciting an almost comical expression of worry on the dog's face. "Let's go, Snuffles."  
The trio stood there for a few minutes, watching Lupin disappear before Ron broke out laughing. "I think Snuffles is going to be taken care of, for sure."  
"Don't be crude, Ron." Hermione muttered, glowering at him. "Let's go get some food." She turned her back on the others and the three headed back toward the Leaky Cauldron, talking amongst themselves.

-  
  
Draco Malfoy did not, typically, like to wait. He liked waiting on strangers even less. So, as he stood in Flourish and Blotts, waiting on this incredibly timid girl who was taking forever to count out the funds for her purchase. Apparently unfamiliar with the currency here.  
_Wait until I tell father about what sort of idiots they're letting in now. Can't even handle money properly._ Aloud, he said. "Hurry up, already, would you? Some of us are important and have places to be."  
The girl turned to face him, revealing wide, pale eyes that took one look at him, then turned down to the floor. "S-sorry..."  
"Whatever, you pale-eyed freak," Draco said, unnerved by her eyes. "Just get out of the way...ACK!"  
'Ack' was the closest thing to the sound that came out of his mouth as someone slid behind him, captured his arm, and wrenched into a painful hold that he could not break free of. "Apologise."  
"What?" Draco growled, trying to flail at whoever had dared lay hands on him. "As if I'll apologise to some stupid pale-eyed freak who can't even cou-OW."  
The person wrenched the arm even further up. "Apologise."  
"Anou....Neji-nii-san..." the girl said. "It's alright."  
"Not until he apologises." The one called Neji said, his grip tightening around Draco's arm. "Then he can go."  
"Not...going..." Draco snapped. "I'm a Malfoy. I don't apologise."  
"What is this?" a new voice asked. Draco's face immediately settled into a grin. He'd show this fool now.  
"Father!" he called out. "This hooligan has laid hands on me for no reason."  
"Come now, Draco, you can do better than that." Lucius Malfoy said, as Neji didn't even bother to turn to face him, he quirked an eyebrow. "Now, tell me what's going on here."  
"He needs to apologise." Neji said coldly. "Your...son was unaccountably rude."  
"Very well." Lucius said. "Draco. Apologise."  
"But, Father!" Draco protested, trying once more to escape the stranger's grip.  
"Do as I say!" Lucius' voice cracked like a whip.  
"...I'm sorry." The teenager bit out sullenly. Neji immediately released him, staring coldly at the other as he went for his wand.  
"I would not." He said, clearly ready for a fight.  
"Enough, Draco." Lucius said, voice cold. He turned his gaze to Neji. "My apologies for my son's uncouth behavior. You have my word it shan't happen again." He glanced at Draco, then turned, anxious to be away from that unnervingly steady gaze. Such a look did not belong on the face of someone around the age of his son.  
"Father, that was embarassing." Draco murmured, massaging his wrist as they left Flourish and Blotts.  
"You stupid boy." Lucius replied. "Have I taught you nothing of subtlety? There is a time and place for everything. The place was not then, with you in danger of injury. Be proud, but never at the expense of your own safety. Bide your time."  
"But!"  
"Enough!" Draco fell silent at that. "Come, we have things to do. First, we must gather information."  
"About?"  
"Your acquaintance back there." Lucius said, a cold expression on his face. "I know of his type." Draco looked as if he wanted to inquire, but a glance from his father silenced him and the two moved quickly through the crowd.

To be continued.


	3. A Mahou Shoujo and Shinobi, or the Great...

The Griffin and the Fox  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Mahou Shoujo and Shinobi, or, The Great Diagon Alley Chase  
  
"Man," Naruto muttered, looking at the prices of things in the store and wincing as he figured the conversion rates that ero-sennin had told him. "All this stuff is expensive."  
  
"Two butterbeers, please." A voice said next to him, paused a moment, then spoke again. "Butterbeer is fine, yes?"  
Realising he was being spoken to, Naruto jumped, turning to face a brown-haired female. "Um...yes...that's fine."  
"Was that girl your sister?" Hermione Granger asked directly, taking the butterbeers with a nod and handing one to Naruto, then paying.  
  
"Girl?" Naruto asked blankly, staring intently at his drink. "There was a girl?"  
Her expression turned piercing. "I saw a girl earlier, who was running around nude. She had facial markings like yours. Was she your sister?"  
"Um. Well. Sort of." Naruto muttered, clearly uncomfortable.  
"What do you mean, sort of? She either is or isn't." Hermione retorted. "Well, if you see her, I would like my cloak back, if she pleases. I know it might be asking a lot, but it is really is rather improper to go traipsing around here with naught but that to cover yourself."  
"She's...kind of odd." Naruto said slowly. "Likes making a scene."  
Hermione's regard did not lessen, causing Naruto to begin to sweat. "She certainly managed that. I heard that the aurors are out in force, looking for the vulgar female who caused such a fuss. You should tell her to be careful. Now isn't the best time to be making such displays."  
Shrugging, Naruto tipped his butterbeer back. "She can handle herself."  
  
"Well, whether she can take care of herself or not, running around nude in Knockturn Alley is never a good idea." Hermione replied severely.  
"I'll be sure to let her know." Naruto said, glaring at his drink once more. "And what's Knockturn Alley?"  
"I got lost. And what's Knockturn Alley?" Hermione's eyes narrowed as the words flitted through her mind and she opened her mouth, then closed it, frowning. "A very bad place."  
"Oh." Shrugging, Naruto turned to the counter. "Could I get a refill please?"  
"Well, well." A cold voice said. "If it isn't Potter's...friend."  
  
Naruto closed his eyes, feeling Hermione stiffen beside him, then speak. "Mr. Malfoy."  
  
"Infecting our fine establishments with your filth, I see." Lucius Malfoy said, his voice pitched so only she could hear it.  
  
"Shut up." Naruto ground out, turning around at last, angry as Hermione had said nothing in reply.  
  
Lucius Malfoy's eyes flicked to Naruto, caught and held there as his gaze seemed intent on memorising every detail. "And you have a...friend..." Naruto glared. The man's expression was wary when he looked at him, but whenever he turned to Hermione, it was cold and disdainful, as if she were something less than human. He knew that expression well and had never cared for it, from anyone. "Leave."  
"Don't presume that coming from a Hidden Village gives you the right to order me around, shinobi." Lucius sneered. "You would do well to learn your place when faced with your betters."  
  
"Funny thing." The young ninja said. "I don't see any here."  
Lucius' face darkened, his grip on his cane tightening. "You arrogant...."  
"Bored." Naruto said, vanishing from where he stood. Lucius reacted, lightning quick, the head of his cane coming loose as he brought it around. Light flashed and there was a startled yell as the orange clad shinobi was flung across the room., crashing into a display case that toppled over on him with a loud crash.  
  
"Excellently done, Father." Draco said, admiringly.  
  
"Be silent, Draco." Lucius snapped, his expression furious as he stared at the pile of rubble. In the background, someone was yelling, but few paid it any mind.  
  
"That hurt, old man." Naruto's voice came from the rubble as he pushed his way to his feet. His clothes were dusty, and dirt was smeared on his face, but he was otherwise unharmed.  
  
Lucius' eyes widened, then he snarled. "What are you...?"  
  
"You said it yourself, stupid." The young man replied. "Shinobi."  
The room went dead quiet, and several people quickly made their way to the door, as fast as they could. Naruto paid them no mind.  
  
"You disrepectful little..." Lucius began.  
  
"You're the one who is disrepectful." Naruto snapped. "Apologise to her. Now."  
  
"Or what?" Lucius sneered.  
  
"How about I start with this?" the young ninja asked as he appeared in front of Lucius, too fast for the older man to react to this time and his fist slammed into Malfoy's jaw.  
  
"Father!" Draco cried out, his own wand coming out and just as quickly flying from his hand into Hermione's. "Give that back!"  
  
"Oh do shut up, Malfoy." Hermione snorted. "Unless you'd rather see what it's like to be a ferret again?"  
  
"You'll pay for this, mudblood." Draco growled.  
  
"I'm sure." She replied. "Now shut up."  
  
"That all you got, old man?" Naruto mocked, bouncing around the room as Lucius threw spell after spell at him, getting increasingly angrier.  
  
_ He uses that stick to attack...so..._ Dodging several more curses, Naruto tossed a kunai out, knocking the wand from Lucius' grip, then landed, skidding to a halt.  
  
"Now I'll put an end to this!" he cried, holding out his left hand and concentrating as he charged forward. His right hand moving rapidly as he focused the chakra into a tight, rotating sphere.  
  
Lucius put out his hand, the wand flying back to it and he brought it around, preparing another attack.  
  
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" A harsh voice demanded, as a barrier sprang up between Naruto and Lucius. The orange clad shinobi checked his rush, keeping the rasengan ready as Lucius' spell bounced, narrowly missing its caster's head.  
  
Calming himself, Lucius' gaze turned frosty as he regarded the man standing there. "Moody."  
"Lucius Malfoy." Mad-Eye Moody sneered. "I might have known." The scarred man stepped further into the shop, his gaze sweeping across all four who stood there, nodding almost approvingly at the sight of Draco at wand point, then his magical eye stopped dead as he regarded Naruto intently.  
  
"Take your miserable little toad spawn and get out of here, Malfoy. I'll speak with you later about this, I assure you." He growled, not taking his eyes off Naruto. "For now, I will speak with this boy. And you too, Granger."  
  
Hermione couldn't keep the trepidation off her face as she reluctantly threw Draco's wand toward him, being sure it landed on the ground some distance away. The younger Malfoy bent to reclaim it, and threw a vicious look at Hermione.  
  
"Don't even think about it, ferret-boy." Moody said without turning around. "What that imposter did will seem like nothing compared to what I do."  
  
"Come, Draco." Lucius said, a sneer crossing his face. Though, the presence of the large bruise on his jaw lessened the impact. "There will be another day."  
"You keep thinking that, Malfoy." Moody snorted, again not taking his eyes off of Naruto. "Come along, Granger. Boy."  
Watching the Malfoys leave, Naruto slowly released the rasengan, though he remained wary, then followed after the girl and the scar faced man. _Stupid ero-sennin will never let me live this down if he finds out...  
_ Moody led them back through the shop to its storeroom, where he instructed them to sit with a simple pointing of his wand at some boxes. Immediately, both his eyes fixed on Naruto. "Mind explaining why you've got that...thing sealed in your stomach?"  
Hermione frowned, unable to follow what Moody had said as he was apparently speaking in a language she was unfamiliar with. Her eyes flicked to Naruto as he gaped, then replied in the same language.  
"How did you know? Is it that weird eye?"  
"Got it in one." Moody replied. "I'm not sure what that is you have there, but it's not anything that you chose to have shoved inside, I'm guessing. There was a time when I believed there wasn't anyone twisted enough to do something like that to a child, but I know better now."  
  
"He had no choice." the young man said quietly, his temper not exploding, to his surprise. "The village would have been destroyed..."  
"And you're fine with having something that nasty locked up in your body?"  
He shrugged. "I didn't get much of a choice in the matter. I deal with it."  
Moody's eyebrow raised as he regarded Naruto. "I'm going to let you go. I don't think it's a good idea, because you're incredibly dangerous, but the morons in charge are...Well, that's not your concern."  
  
"You couldn't keep me even if you wanted to." Naruto snapped, his expression darkening.  
  
The eye stopped dead, narrowing. "Don't assume that making a fool out of Lucius Malfoy means you'll do the same to me. He's an arrogant bastard in dreadful need of a thrashing. I am not."  
  
"Whatever." Naruto snorted, glaring at the older man.  
Moody stared back. "Granger!"  
  
Hermione jumped. "Yes, Professor?"  
  
"I'm not your professor, Granger. Never was, really. But that's not important. Keep an eye on your friend here." He peered at her suspiciously. "Assuming that you are Granger and not someone disguising themselves as her."  
"I'm me, sir." Hermione said firmly.  
"And Malfoy's a ferret." Moody retorted. "Run along now. I'll be watching you, boy."  
  
"Like to watch, do you?" Naruto said, a mocking expression on his face. "You'd get along well with ero-sennin, I bet."  
  
"Come on!" Hermione hissed, grabbing Naruto's hand and dragging him out of the storeroom.  
"Hey!" Naruto protested. "Not so hard. I was just telling the stupid old man.."  
  
"He'll hear you." She said, not letting up until they were near the exit.  
"So? I'm not scared of him or his crazy eye." Naruto told her. "Probably just a pervert like ero-sennin, anyway."  
Hermione blinked. "Are you quite sane? You just called one of the most paranoid aurors a pervert."  
  
"All adults are perverts." Naruto said, shrugging. "Haven't met one yet who isn't. Ero-sennin, Kakashi, old man Hokage... The closet pervert too."  
She placed her hands on either side of her forehead, massaging her temples slowly. "Every adult you've met is a pervert, is that what you're saying?"  
Pushing the door open, Naruto nodded. "Haven't seen one yet who wasn't."  
Hermione Granger sighed. "Well. I'm going to go find my friends. Do tell your sister or whatever to be careful where she chooses to run around nude."  
Perversely, the young man grinned wickedly at her, looking like he was trying to keep from laughing hysterically. "I'll be sure to tell her that when I see her." He sauntered off into the crowd with a wave, vanishing from sight despite his clothes being a bright splash amongst all the dark robes.  
Hermione stood there for a moment, then swore under her breath in a very unladylike fashion. "I wanted to ask him about the Shinobi..."  
"You'd be better off not involving yourself with their sort." Moody growled from behind her.  
"Why?" Hermione countered, not startled by his appearance. "He seems nice enough."  
"Ministry doesn't like them." He muttered. "Thinks they're dark wizards and a threat to society because of the fact that they use their talents as their source of income."  
"Mercenaries?" she asked.  
He gave her a surprised look. "Of a sort. Damned handy to have one at your back in a fight, though."  
  
"What do you think of them?" Hermione asked.  
Moody gave her a curious look. "Decent enough folk, for the most part. Bad seeds abound, just like with anywhere. They've got a few characters that make Voldemort look like a schoolyard bully. They're all dangerous though. That boy there, in particular."  
  
"And why," Hermione began, bold. "do you think that?"  
His face blanked immediately. "Hang around him long enough and you'll find out, I assure you. Good day, Granger."  
"Good day, Professor." She said quietly as he donned his hat and slipped past her, trying not to complain over how little he'd actually told her.  
"Hermione!"  
Turning, she saw Ron approaching, dragging a boy about his age along with him. The young man wore what resembled a flak vest, a mesh shirt underneath, and wore a headband like she'd seen on the other boy, except it was tied around one of his arms. He also looked very bored.  
  
"This is Shikamaru," Ron said, coming to a halt. "He's one of the transfer students coming to Hogwarts this year. I just watched him thrash that git Percy at chess. I've never seen anything like it!"  
  
"Another one..." Hermione mused, not really listening to Ron's muttering.  
Shikamaru's eyes flickered, interest flaring briefly. "You've seen someone else wearing one of these?"  
  
Nodding, Hermione glanced back at the crowd behind her. "He went that way just a few minutes ago. I didn't catch his name, though. Wore orange, though."  
"Let me guess." He asked, glancing at the store's wrecked interior. "He did that?"  
  
She nodded and he sighed heavily. "How troublesome. I have to go tell our sensei about this. Nice meeting you all." He slipped past Hermione, muttering to himself.  
"What's his name?" she called out, growling under her breath. Shikamaru merely waved one hand in farewell, vanishing into the crowd just as quickly as the other boy had.  
"This is quite annoying." Hermione said under her breath, forcing away her frown to smile at Ron. "Where'd you meet him?"  
"At the Cauldron." Ron said, grinning. "It was great. Went in for a moment and saw him trouncing Percy. Third time in a row."  
"That's great, Ron. Really." She said, forcing a smile before glancing back in the direction both Shikamaru and the boy whose name she had yet to catch had gone. "Listen. Tell Harry I'll meet him at the Cauldron in a bit. I want to go get something."  
"I'll come with you!" Ron announced.  
  
"What? No!" she protested, then amended hastily. "I mean, you probably want to challenge Shikamaru to chess, don't you?" Please say yes, please say yes.  
He looked at her with a frown. "You're going to do something dangerous, aren't you? And you don't want me around to get hurt."  
"You just had to pick now to be perceptive, didn't you?" she muttered under her breath, then forced another smile. "No, Ron. I'm not going to do anything that might get you hurt. But there will be dark wizards about and the last thing your dad needs right now is for you to be seen in Knockturn Alley."  
He choked. "You're going to Knockturn Alley? _Why?_"  
"I have to see about a book." She turned and walked off. "Go find Harry, Ron. It'll be fine."  
Ron Weasley stood there for a moment, then made a decision and started into the crowd after Hermione.   
  
"Damn, this place is a lot bigger than I thought." Naruto muttered, glowering at the run-down buildings around him. "How the hell did I end up here again?"  
"You! Lawbreaker!" someone shouted. Naruto turned his head, slightly bored, to see a rather prissy looking male approach, with four official looking men behind him. "You are under arrest for assaulting Ministry Officials. You will come with us immediately and await sentencing...Hey!"  
  
Naruto stopped, having kept on walking as soon as the lead male had started speaking. "Eh? You want something?" He decided he didn't like that guy's expression. It reminded him of Sasuke. Stuck-up. Sure of his own superiority.  
"Didn't you hear anything I said?" the red-headed male asked. "I said you are under arrest for assaulting Ministry officials."  
"Don't have a clue what you're talking about." Naruto said, starting forward again.  
"Come quietly or we'll take you by force!" the red-head shouted, a tinge of desperation in his voice as he sensed the men behind him trying not to laugh at the disrespect he was being shown.  
Naruto stopped again, dropping his arms from where he'd been holding them behind his head, then shook his head and started walking again. "Like I care."  
"Stop now!" the other shouted. "Or else!"  
"You know something?" Naruto snarled, turning around. "You are really beginning to piss me off, stupid." He started walking toward the other. "I don't care about who I assaulted. I don't care what you think you're going to do to me for it and I especially don't care about you or anything you have to say. So why don't you just turn around and go back to kissing more ass and leave me alone. Before you get hurt."  
  
The red head adjusted his robes, trying his best to look commanding. "I'm a Ministry Official, you wouldn't dare lay hands on me."  
  
"I know I'm not very bright." Naruto replied. "But since you're accusing me of assaulting a ministry official, whatever that is, why would I stop with you, if that was true?"  
Looking puzzled for a moment, the red head opened his mouth to speak. "You're just trying to confuse me. Now, are you going to come quietly? Or do we have to use force?"  
"I'm not going anywhere with you, stupid." Naruto repeated. "Haven't you been listening?"  
"I, Percival Weasley, do hereby place you under arrest." He said, producing a scroll. "You are hereby charged with assault on a Ministry Official, threatening the proper authorities, as well as destruction of both private and public property. You will be held until trial and if you resist, it will only go worse for you... HEY!"  
  
Naruto stopped once more. "You're too much of a wimp to beat up, so I'm just going to leave before I hurt you. Have fun playing with yourself, okay?"  
"You disrepectful little..." Percy snarled, his face turning red. He shoved his hand into his robes, his hand coming out holding nothing. He blinked.  
"Funny thing I've noticed about you guys." Naruto said casually, twirling the wand in his hand. "Without these little sticks, you aren't all that impressive or threatening. In fact, I'd wager you can't do anything without one. Pretty pathetic, really."  
"Give that back!" Percy snapped, lunging at Naruto. The young shinobi smirked, calmly stepping to the side and sticking his foot out. Percy landed face first in the same moment the four aurors began laughing openly at his ineptitude.  
Glancing toward the other four, Naruto frowned. "Can you guys wait until I'm done with this jackass before you try to arrest me?"  
They glanced at each other, talking quietly, then the tallest one nodded. "Sure, kid. No hard feelings about that, though? Just our job."  
"Whatever." Naruto shrugged, glancing at Percy, who was struggling to rise.  
"Give me back my wand, you miscreant!" Percy snapped, his arms flailing as he found his feet.  
"You really want your wand back?" he asked, still twirling it.  
"Yes, damn you!" Percy shouted, making another lunge for it.  
"If you insist." Sidestepping the attempt once more, Naruto positioned himself behind the unbalanced Percy. "Konoha secret taijutsu technique....Sennen goroshi!"  
The scream that issued forth from the Weasley sibling's throat echoed all the way up to Diagon Alley.  
"Ok, now that that's done..." Naruto said, turning to face the remaining four. He barely had time to move as a dark green mass was flung straight at him, travelling at high speed. It struck Naruto and unravelled, the coils of the plant tangling around his limbs. He stood there for a moment, struggling with it, then smoke billowed up, revealing a log entangled in the coils of whatever they had thrown at him.  
  
"How..." one of them said, eyes widening. "Where is he?"  
"Catch ya later, stupid!" Naruto shouted, already on the steps leading back to Diagon Alley.  
"_Accio_ brooms!" he heard behind him, daring a glance over his shoulder to see the four men, now on broomsticks, heading straight for him.  
  
"Shit!" he swore. "No one told me they could do that." He glanced up ahead, spotting a familiar face. Smirking slightly, he crossed his fingers in a seal, one that he needed no prepartion for. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"  
Smoke billowed up, and the stairway exiting Knockturn Alley was crowded with countless copies of himself. "Scatter!"  
  
Naruto himself rushed forward, skidding to a stop in front of the girl. "I think they're upset with me from earlier."  
"Stop those two!" one of the aurors shouted, struggling past the group of Naruto that were blocking the alleyway and the men.  
Naruto flashed her a grin. "Looks like you're on their list now too."  
  
"Do you always have to make such a scene wherever you go?" she asked, her lips pursed in disapproval.  
"It sort of finds me, you know?" he replied, glancing back as the men began to disperse the bunshin. "Time to go, it seems." Without waiting for her response, he grabbed her wrist and flung his free hand toward the ground. Smoke billowed up, and then cleared, leaving behind the echo of her startled protests. The four men soared out on broomstick, looking around angrily at the sight of all the copies of Naruto that were bouncing off in every direction. After a moment, they cursed, and split up, chasing after the duplicates.  
After a moment, one red-headed male stepped out from where he had been hiding and looked around as one of the clones brushed past him, laughing, an auror in close pursuit.  
  
"What the bloody hell just happened here?" Ron Weasley said of no one in particular, then shook his head. "I'd better find Harry. Hermione could be in trouble."  
  
At that same moment, the exact person that Ron was worried about was, despite his fears, not in trouble. She was seriously annoyed as she was pulled along behind the young man, until they ducked down on a rooftop, hidden amidst some crates stacked there.  
  
"We'll wait here for a moment, then head across and out." He said quietly, his eyes scanning the visible area.  
"Do you know how much trouble you're probably in now?" Hermione asked, crouching down behind him and mentally lamenting the fact that the skirt she was wearing wasn't the best choice of clothing to be running from Ministry authorities in. Why was she running from Ministry authorities? Oh. Because this idiot had dragged her off in sight of everyone when those four aurors had come flying up out of Knockturn Alley. She really needed to lecture him on priorities and proper behavior. First, however. "What's your name?"  
"What's yours?" he retorted, not looking back at her.  
"It is rather rude to answer a question with a question, you know." Hermione said with a sigh.  
"Name's Naruto." He said, turning his head to regard her for a brief second, grinning. "Yours?"  
"Hermione. Hermione Granger." She answered, looking over his shoulder. Is it safe yet?"  
  
"One second." Naruto murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. The sounds of multiple popping noises went up below and off in the distance, followed by shouts of consternation. "We go now."  
  
"I don't really think this is a good idea..." Hermione began.  
  
"No time to talk it over." He caught her wrist. "If you think it'll help, act like you're being taken unwillingly. You'll look like less of an accomplice then."  
"What do you mean?" she asked, but received no verbal answer. Instead, he abruptly pulled her close, then slung her over his right shoulder and took a step toward the rooftop edge.  
"Naruto! Put me down this instant!" she demanded, the words followed closely by a squeal as he dove off the roof with her in tow. He hit the ground on his feet, flashed a grin at those who stood, gaping, then darted off, skillfully navigating his way through the crowd.  
"Clear a path! Official Ministry business! MOVE!" voices shouted behind him, followed by the sound of brooms rising into the air to avoid the press of the crowd. "There! Get them!"  
"Like hell you will." Naruto muttered, calling forth a dozen clones of himself. All appeared to be carrying Hermione. As one, they all shouted. "Come and get us, losers!" They promptly scattered once more, laughing mockingly as they went in every direction, several jumping up and harassing the men on brooms.  
"Naruto!" Hermione shouted, beating her fists against his back. "Put me down!"  
  
"Would you be quiet back there?" he snapped. "You'll give us away!" He ignored her further protests, ducking into an alley and ascending the boxes stacked there, using them as a jumping point onto a nearby roof. "The Leaky Cauldron place was that way..."  
"You're going to take us through the Cauldron? You're mad!" Hermione protested, still trying to get him to put her down.  
"No." Naruto replied. "They'll have people there. We're going over it."  
"You can't do that!" she shouted.  
"Why not?"  
"Because, there are spells to keep anyone from coming in over the rooftops." Hermione snapped, trying not to punch him in the back again. "Don't you know that?"  
"....." Naruto stopped, then shrugged. "We're not coming in, so it'll be fine."  
  
"I don't think..." Hermione began.  
"You think too much." Naruto retorted. "We'll be fine."  
"Naruto!" she shouted as the genin started moving again. "Put me down this instant!"  
He skidded to a stop. "You're really pushy, you know that?"  
"Put me down!" she repeated.  
"Fine." Without a word, he set her on her feet. Hermione glared at him and adjusted her clothing. _I bet the way he was carting me around had my undergarments showing to everyone. Not to mention all those illusions he produced. The last thing I need is to have the Prophet or Witch Weekly running off some slanderous article about Harry using the color of my underwear as cannon fire. Knowing them, they'd do it._ "Now, we're going to go back down to the street and find my friends."  
"You're also really thick." He said.  
"What?" Hermione's eyes widened.  
"That guy from earlier obviously was too cowardly to deal with me face to face, so he's sent his flunkies after us. It's not that hard to understand!" Naruto told her.  
"Why am I even talking to you?" Hermione said to the air, throwing her hands up. "You're even worse than Harry and Ron. Do you really think you can just attack Lucius Malfoy like that? Don't you know how dangerous he is?"  
"Um. Is he that guy from earlier?" Naruto blinked.  
"Lucius Malfoy is a supporter of You-Know-Who!"  
"No, I don't know who." He said, crossing his arms behind his head. "Never met him."  
"Have you been living in a cave?" Hermione asked skeptically.  
"Nope!" Naruto told her. "Hidden Village."  
"Malfoy mentioned that..." something in her eyes flickered. "You're a shinobi!"  
  
Naruto looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "You say that like you've never seen one before."  
  
"I haven't." she admitted. "You're the second and the one with Ron...Shikamaru, was the fourth. But before today, never."  
  
He frowned. "Who was the first and the third?"  
"And you call me thick?" she replied. "The first was that girl from earlier. The second was, I think, that strange old man who was with Snuffles."  
  
"Aaaaah!" Naruto pointed. "You saw ero-sennin!"  
"Ero...sennin?" Hermione frowned, her mind working to comprehend the unfamiliar term.  
"It means perverted hermit." Naruto answered after a moment of watching her frown. "S'what I call my sensei."  
"You are astonishingly disrepectful. Not at all like what the books told me about shinobi." She said, shaking her head.  
"I'm Konoha's number one ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!" he proclaimed. "Future Hokage and the greatest genin ever!"  
"...Right." Hermione rubbed the space between her eyes. This boy's going to be even more trouble than he's already caused, I just know it. "Why are you here in London?"  
"Oh, that?" Naruto shrugged. "Ero-sennin decided we needed some special training or something. Going to some place...Mogmarts, Bogtarts..."  
"Hogwarts." Hermione said, restraining an urge to twitch. "The name is Hogwarts."  
"Eh, whatever." Naruto replied. "Anyway. That's where we're going. Ero-sennin didn't tell us much about how we were getting here from there. "  
"Well, there's the Hogwarts Express..." Hermione began.  
"Great!" Naruto grinned, grabbing her hand. "You show me the way and we'll get there in no time flat!"  
"What?" Hermione blinked. Was this boy always this hyperactive? "My friends will be looking for me..."  
"They go to school with you?"  
"Yes..."  
"Then they'll be on this Mogmart Express thing too."  
"Possibly." She allowed. "But if they can't find me, there's no telling what they will do or where they will go."  
"You think they'll check the places you would go to, first, right?" Naruto asked. "We'll run across them there, I'm sure. I promise I'll get you to your friends there."  
For a moment, Hermione wanted to believe him. "How do I know you can carry out that promise?"  
"I never go back on my words." He said, a glint of steel in his eyes. "That's my nindo!"  
Another word I don't know... "What's that mean?"  
"Ninja way." He said. "Now. We gotta go before they realise all those down there are just bunshin." He held out his hand.  
Can I trust him? Should I trust him? Hermione stared at his hand. "You promise?"  
Naruto nodded.  
"Let's go then." She put her hand down over his.  
"Found you!" a voice shouted, as both turned, eyes widening at the beams of red light soaring straight for them.  
"Down!" Naruto snapped, shoving Hermione out of the way with his own body as several bunshin appeared, intercepting the beams. Smoke billowed up as the clones exploded. Not wasting time, Naruto grabbed Hermione's hand.  
"Show me the way, alright?" he asked, pulling her along and using the smoke as cover to dive off the roof top again. "Looks like we are going through the bar."  
"But you said..." she began.  
"They won't expect us to come through there, even with people guarding the place. Plus...we can disguise ourselves."  
"I need to get into my room in the Cauldron." Hermione said. "I've got stuff there I want to get."  
He frowned as they made a turn down an alleyway at her instruction. "That could be tough."  
"But not impossible?"  
"Nothing's impossible." Naruto proclaimed. "I have an idea, but I've only done it once, so I dunno if it will work out."  
Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "What's your idea."  
"Well, it's like this..." he began, then continued his explanation.  
She listened patiently, then crossed her arms below her breasts. "There's no way I'm going to let you do that."  
  
Naruto rolled his eyes. "We have two options. The roofs or the exit by that bar. They can fly with those brooms, so getting on the roofs gives them the advantage since I have to keep an eye on you. Down on the ground, we have the advantage, because they can't use their flying stunts as well as they could." He cocked his head to the side, as if listening, then his face settled into an expression of determination. "Get down."  
"What?" she blinked.  
  
"I said get down!" he told her, shoving her back toward the wall as the four aurors came flying down over a nearby roof, spotting them immediately.  
"I've had enough of you guys." Naruto muttered, crossing his fingers. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"  
The alleyway filled with smoke, quickly dispering to reveal a number of the Naruto clones rushing toward the men on brooms. The aurors wielded their spells, popping them quickly, but soon found themselves overwhelmed and ejected from their brooms. They cursed, snapping off spells like mad until the clones were dispersed.  
  
"Nowhere to run now, children." The leader said, sneering as he pointed his wand. "Stupefy!"  
"_Kaiten_!" came the whispered words as a dark haired figure shot into place between the two groups. Blue light flared up, forming a perfect sphere. The stunning spell stopped, then was flung back at the men, who hastily jumped aside.  
"Oi, Naruto." A voice that Hermione recognised called out. "Can't you go anywhere without getting into trouble?" Both looked up to see Shikamaru standing on the side of the building, the faint glow of chakra securing him there.  
"You are all under arrest for interfering with Ministry business!" the leader shouted, his eyes slightly panicked, but his voice was still firm. "Surrender now and your punishment will be less severe than the one those two are getting."  
"Man...how troublesome." Shikamaru muttered. "Shino?"  
"Enough of your prattle!" the leader yelled, raising his wand. "_St_-" His words died as he stared at the shavings of wood that were dropping from it.  
"I believe they are called termites here." The quiet voice of the Aburame clan member echoed forth as he, too, appeared in the on the wall opposite Shikamaru. "You won't be using those again."  
The aurors exchanged glances, each confirming the state of their wands. Then the leader sneered. "You criminals won't be able to get away with this.  
"Insolence!" a voice declared. "To address a visiting party from another nation as criminals after you behaving so shamefully toward them! I will not stand for this!"  
  
Naruto blinked, looking past Neji and the aurors to see the new arrivals, his eyes widening. "Aaaah! It's the closet-pervert!"  
Ebisu's face darkened. "I am not a closet pervert!" He turned red at the sound of Anko snickering beside him. Genma smiled faintly. The remaining genin, Chouji and Hinata, stood on either side of the three jounin. Chouji held a bag of food, and was opening a chocolate frog pack. Without blinking, he caught it when it jumped, then bit its head off. Hinata merely looked worried, her eyes wide as she stared at Naruto and the girl he stood protectively in front of.  
"Do you call every adult you meet a pervert?" Hermione demanded, rolling her eyes.  
"Every adult I meet IS a pervert." Naruto countered.  
"Enough!" the auror roared, openly panicked now that they were surrounded. "You will all surrender now or Ministry reprisal will be swift and terrible."  
  
Ebisu's face returned to normal and a truly nasty smile appeared on his face. "I think not. In fact, you will go about your business right now. For you see, we are, as I said, visitors from another nation. Our arrival was cleared and due to our unique status, you have no authority over us."  
The group of aurors looked nervous, then one spoke. "Where are you from?"  
The smile decorating Ebisu' face got even nastier. "Konohagakure."  
All four of the ministry officers paled, then began speaking in low tones to each other.  
"...Not going to provoke them any further."  
"....Damnit, don't you have a spine?"  
"I don't care what you think he'll do! I want my damn job and what Fudge will do if we cause an incident is more terrifying than anything that man can think up!"  
"Cowards, the whole lot of you!" the leader snapped, his hand diving into his robe. "I'll take them myself!" A wand appeared in his hand and he spun, a spell forming on his lips.  
Smoke exploded everywhere, filling the alleyway in seconds. "Be amazed! Mt. Myobokugama's Holy Master Sennin has arrived!" There was a crash, a muffled groan, then the smoke cleared, revealing Jiraiya, resting seiza atop a large toad that had crashed down on the auror. "The white haired sage who is the master of toads...is here!" He rose from his seated position, extending one arm, palm out.  
"Idiot!" Naruto shouted. "You always show up and try to make an entrance!"  
"They would work fine if you weren't calling me stupid!" Jiraiya retorted. The two dissolved into arguing and Hermione hung back, frowning. These people are Shinobi? They're nothing like those books.  
The two argued for a moment, then Jiraiya turned his attention toward Hermione. "Oh, it's you. How's that dog of yours?"  
"His owner is taking care of him." Hermione replied, frowning. "Why are you all here in London?"  
Jiraiya smirked. "Well, that's the real question, isn't it?" The toad beneath him vanished and he landed easily on his feet, his wooden sandals cracking down on the spine of the fallen auror. "First, let us relocate to another place and we'll see if we can answer those questions for you." He motioned for her to follow, and they calmly walked out of the alley, leaving the remaining aurors standing around their unconscious leader. 


	4. The Chapter Which Has No Name

The Griffin and the Fox Chapter 4 – The Chapter Which Has No Name  
  
The room at the end of the hall on the second floor of the Suzaku Inn on Shikigami Way was currently rather crowded. Six genin: (Naruto, Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji and Hinata, she'd learned). Three jounin (a higher rank than genin, it seemed): Ebisu, Anko, and Genma (who was rather handsome, if you were interested in that sort of thing. The girls at Hogwarts would go crazy over him. As for herself, she'd learned her lesson after her second year.) Of course, there was the one Naruto called (rather disrespectfully in her opinion), ero-sennin. Jiraiya. Then there was she, Hermione Granger, who had requested answers about why they were here and what they were doing, resulting in her current status. Sitting in a room full of shinobi, all of whom, if Naruto was any indication, could kill her before she could raise her wand (or her hand) in defense.  
_Usually it's Harry getting into these sorts of situations._ She thought with a faintly amused smirk.  
"So," the huge white-haired man asked, settling into a crossed leg stance before her. "What would you like to know?"  
"Why are you here?" Hermione said. Best to start with the obvious questions. Hopefully she could get the things she really wanted to know answered once she'd established that they weren't going to do something disastrous. _I'm glad it's me here and not Ron. He'd think they were all dark wizards from the first technique they used, I just know it.  
_ Jiraiya produced a pipe and began to stuff the bowl, raising his eyebrows at her in a questioning glance. "You don't mind, do you?" As she shook her head, he continued speaking. "We're here because this fool." He indicated Naruto, who was busily eating a bowl of ramen he'd requested. "Is in dire need of a proper education."  
"This requires all of you to escort one boy?" Hermione asked skeptically, as she and Jiraiya both ignored Naruto's garbled outburst.  
"He's a very difficult person to keep in line," Jiraiya said with a straight face. "As I'm sure you've already discovered."  
"Difficult seems to be rather condemning." She noted. "Do you usually let your students run around unattended?"  
"Naruto's perfectly capable of taking care of himself from all but a select few." Jiraiya asserted. "A select few, I'll add, who are far from here."  
"I wasn't referring to Naruto." Hermione corrected. "I was referring to his sister."  
Jiraiya blinked. The rest of the room simply stared.  
Except for Naruto, who choked on his ramen, gasping for air and trying to clear the obstruction.  
"...Sister?" Jiraiya asked, directing a suspicious glance toward Naruto. "Where'd you get a sister? Is she pretty?"  
"...stupid pervert!" Naruto shouted, his words barely audible as he continued to try and clear his throat. "What would you know?" He threw the bowl at his sensei's head and stormed out the door, not sparing looks for anyone.  
"I apologise." Hermione said after the echoes of the door closing faded. "I didn't mean to step into a touchy subject."  
"Well..." Jiraiya exchanged a look with the others, arching an eyebrow at Ebisu's open look of disapproval. "You have something to say, Ebisu?"  
"I can't believe that he's openly engaging in shameless behavior when we're visiting a foreign country." Ebisu muttered.  
_He?_ "Am I missing something?" she asked, glancing from Jiraiya to Ebisu and back.  
"Naruto has a....problem." Jiraiya said slowly. "We're not entirely sure of the specifics, though. He doesn't like to talk about it."  
"Do you know what it is?" Hermione asked, curious.  
"No, that's part of the problem." Jiraiya told her, shaking his head. "All we know is that he's subject to...bouts where he isn't really himself."  
_There's something they're not telling me_. Nodding slowly, she glanced at Ebisu again, but his anxiety had passed. "And it causes his sister to run around naked starting fights?"  
Something in Jiraiya's face made her feel suddenly uncomfortable and she had the sudden urge to run as he spoke. "...Naked?"  
"Shameless..." Ebisu muttered under his breath, staring at the ceiling.  
  
"We've already heard all about that, Ebisu." Anko muttered, rolling her eyes before glancing over at Jiraiya. "Or at least, we've heard that he does shameless things. Ebisu was reluctant to tell us what those shameless things were. Right, E-bi-su-kun?"  
"A-a-Anko-san." Ebisu stammered.  
"Naruto's sister..." Jiraiya paused, his expression clear he was searching for the proper words to express what he was trying to say. "She's... difficult. Rather like Naruto himself, actually." He nodded, then turned his head slightly to regard the others in the room, as if daring them to contradict him.  
_Right. Difficult. Definitely not telling me the truth_. "So where is she now?"  
"Not here." Jiraiya replied quickly. "She comes and goes at will."  
"Do you seriously expect me to buy this when it is obvious you're..."she trailed off as the door opened and the girl in question walked in, wearing a very similar outfit to what Naruto wore, but tailored differently.  
"What are you telling her about me, pervert?" she demanded as soon as she entered, eyes flickering from Hermione to Jiraiya. Ebisu choked, covering his face with one hand as Anko turned to him, concerned.  
"Only the truth, stupid." Jiraiya retorted. "Just like she deserves."  
"Yeah, like you know what truth is."  
"I'm not the one keeping secrets." Jiraiya grinned.  
The girl's expression twitched in an oddly familiar way, then became a mischievous smirk. "Oh, Jiraiya-sama, you know I'm not keeping secrets, right?" She leaned forward as she spoke, giving the older man a direct view of her breasts.  
_Well, that's one way to change the topic, I suppose._ Hermione thought, watching as Jiraiya reddened.  
"No?" Jiraiya coughed, smirking as well. "And who's being deceitful right now?"  
"You, stupid." She retorted. "Telling her all those lies about Naruto- kun."  
"Excuse me," Hermione interjected. "This is all very interesting, but, could I have my cloak back?"  
"Eh?" the girl blinked. "Oh, right! Sorry about that." She slid the backpack she carried off one shoulder and began rooting through it. "Here you are." She produced the cloak, folded in a neat square and offered it to Hermione.  
  
"Thank you." Hermione said, shaking out the fabric to deal with any wrinkles. "I didn't catch your name earlier, though."  
"Yes, do tell her your name." Jiraiya said, bringing his pipe to his lips.  
"My name...." The girl trailed off. "Naruko. Uzumaki Naruko."  
Jiraiya choked, coughing and twitching.  
_Naruko? Naruto....?_ What's going on here? "That's a very similar name to Naruto's..."  
"Duh, he's my little brother." She said, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.  
"You don't have to be rude." Hermione replied. "It was simply an observation."  
"Wasn't being rude." Naruko said. "Told you he was my little brother."  
"Naruko-chan." Jiraiya said, having recovered from his choking fit. "Be nice to our guest. Your...brother helped her out earlier and she deserves to see that we're not antisocial and violent."  
"The Ministry's propaganda, wasn't it?" Hermione asked, changing topics with an irked look at Naruko. "Except most of the populace doesn't know about you."  
"The Ministry knows." Jiraiya snorted. "They just prefer not to talk about us. We make them uncomfortable. I think they believe if they ignore us, we'll go away and not be a problem for them."  
"Stupid." Naruko commented, earning a dirty look from Jiraiya.  
"You're quite a bit different from earlier." Hermione remarked. "You could at least trying being polite."  
"Pfft!" the girl snorted. "Being nice is just not saying what you really mean. Not gonna happen."  
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You're going to make me wish I hadn't helped you earlier."  
  
"Good." Naruko retorted. "Didn't need your help anyway."  
"Enough." Jiraiya raised a hand to forestall the impending fight, as he spoke, though he appeared a bit reluctant. "We're not here to argue. Naruko, be quiet." He sighed, then looked at Hermione. "You had other questions?"  
"You're going to be teaching at Hogwarts, yes?" she asked. At his nod, she continued. "I'll see what I can do to ask them then, when we don't have rude young women being a nuisance."  
"Very well." Jiraiya nodded. "However. I have a request."  
"Yes?"  
"The Headmaster knows we are coming, in fact, invited us. However, no one else does. I'd like to ask that you keep it a secret. I want to make an entrance."  
Despite herself, Hermione smiled. "Do I have to keep it a secret from everyone?"  
  
"If you trust them not to talk about it openly?" he made a careless gesture. "Use your own judgment there."  
Nodding, she settled the cloak about her shoulders. "I'll keep that in mind. For now, thank you for answering my questions." She glanced at Naruko, her gaze turning frosty. "Thank you for returning my cloak after you stole it."  
"Whatever." Naruko replied, blowing a bubble with the gum she had apparently starting chewing at some point. "S'not like the thing is my size anyway."  
Hermione opened her mouth to reply, then closed it, her gaze turning frostier. "Your brother is nothing like you."  
"Good for him." She responded, popping the bubble.  
Her face tightened and she started to say something, then she noticed Jiraiya shaking his head, a pensive expression on his face. "I'll be going now." Adjusting her cloak, she made her way to the door, nodding to the rest and quietly left.  
  
Jiraiya sat there, his head tilted as he listened to the receding sound of her departure, then, his face stoney, he glanced at the others. "Could you give me a moment here? I have something to discuss with Naruto."  
The group quietly, but reluctantly slipped out of the room, leaving Jiraiya alone with the insolently smirking girl.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jiraiya demanded as soon as they were alone. "And drop that disguise."  
"Too distracting, old man?" Naruko replied acidly, smoke billowing up around her to reveal a confused looking Naruto.  
"Eh?" he blinked, then glared at Jiraiya. "How the hell did I get here?"  
"Don't try to be ignorant, fool!" the older man snapped. "I just sat here and watched you come in and be terribly rude to Hermione while disguised with your sexy no jutsu!"  
Naruto looked at him for a moment, still frowning, then glared again. "This is one of your pranks, ain't it?"  
"No, stupid!" Jiraiya replied, his expression settling from angry disapproval to speculative. "Transform."  
"What?"  
"Use your sexy no jutsu. I want to test a theory." Jiraiya repeated, rolling his eyes.  
"Pervert!" Naruto accused.  
"Guilty." Jiraiya countered. "Now shut up and do it."  
"You asked for it." Naruto replied, cracking his knuckles once. "_Henge_!" Smoke again billowed up, replacing Naruto with his female disguise, who immediately opened her mouth to speak.  
"One look not enough for you, old man?" she sneered.  
Jiraiya nodded, not really listening to her. "Change back."  
"Like little boys now, I see." Naruko snorted, releasing the jutsu to reveal Naruto, again looking confused.  
"As I suspected." Jiraiya looked at Naruto intently. "Under no circumstances are you to use the sexy no jutsu while we are in wizarding lands. Not here. Not at Hogwarts. Not at all. Clear?"  
"Why the hell not?" Naruto demanded. "It works against all adults!"  
"I'd like to see you use it on Orochimaru." Jiraiya muttered. "I'll explain, stupid, though I doubt you'll understand." He reached toward the table where Naruto had been eating and grabbed the salt, then unceremoniously dumped it on the floor between them.  
  
"Ah!" Naruto screamed and pointed. "You're going to have bad luck now!"  
"Shut up and look." He smoothed the salt out flat, then poked one spot with his finger. "This is you. Right?" Without waiting for a reply, he drew a large square in the salt. "This is Diagon Alley. Now. Diagon Alley is filled with wizards, who use chakra almost constantly for everything imaginable. They cook with it, they clean with it. You name it."  
"That's stupid." Naruto muttered.  
  
Jiraiya nodded once. "But we're not discussing the overuse of chakra. We're discussing your problem." He made a series of marks all around the spot that represented Naruto. "As a result, the excess chakra from what they do just lingers around because they've been here so long and keep doing this. Thus, you have chakra -everywhere-, from many different people, all just floating around."  
Naruto nodded, listening eagerly. "And?"  
"Well, then we have you." He pointed at the spot again. "Who is host to the kyuubi, which is a source of chakra unlike anything we've ever seen. And as a result, the chakra of the kyuubi is in everything you do, even if it is only in tiny amounts."  
"What's that go to do with my problem?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing. "This sounds like bullshit."  
"I'm getting to that, moron." Jiraiya retorted. "As I was saying, you are the kyuubi's host. The chakra of the kyuubi can actually take physical shape if enough of it is present. So, when you're using the sexy no jutsu, some of the kyuubi chakra is filtering in with yours and that, combined with the excess chakra floating around here in Diagon Alley and such, is causing your sexy no jutsu to work in an interesting way."  
Naruto tilted his head. "I don't understand."  
Sighing Jiraiya wiped a hand through the salt. "Your repeated use of the sexy no jutsu, combined with the kyuubi chakra and the chakra here, is causing your female disguise to take on a life of her own." He paused, noting Naruto's blank look. "Too many big words? Fine. When you use henge, you're not just creating a different appearance, you're creating another personality for that appearance."  
  
Frowning, Naruto glanced down at the salt. "Like... I'm turning into someone else?"  
"Exactly." Jiraiya said, pleased that his student had grasped the concept. "So, no using it until I say so."  
"Still sounds like bullshit, but whatever." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head as he spoke. "I won't use it."  
"Now go run along and apologise for your sister's bad manners." Jiraiya told him. "Naruko was very rude to her."  
Naruto stared at Jiraiya for a moment, then scowled. "Probably deserved it."  
Jiraiya smacked him on the back of the head. "She most certainly did not. No student of mine is going to display such atrocious manners. You will go and apologise to her now. Be glad I don't make you tell her the truth."  
"I'm going, I'm going." Naruto muttered, rubbing the back of his head as he sulked out of the room.  
Standing there for a moment, Jiraiya reached out after Naruto had left, catching something in the air and looking at it curiously. "Do tell Kurenai that I'm not as stupid as I sometimes look. I know perfectly well why she sent you." With that, he released the bug, watching it quickly flee the room.  
  
Aburame Shino listened as the insect relayed what it had heard back to him, one eyebrow raising as he reached the end. "Interesting." He released the insect, not giving it any mind as it flew down his collar while he walked away from where he had been standing.  
  
Hermione stepped off of Shikigami Way onto Diagon Alley and sighed, glancing back at the inn where she had just come from, then shook her head and continued onward, merging quietly into the flow of the people as she made her way back toward the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
Ron and Harry intercepted her about halfway.  
  
"Are you alright?" Ron demanded, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she was alone. "Not hurt?"  
  
"I'm fine." She said, frowning. "And why would I be hurt?"  
  
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, then Harry spoke. "Ron said you'd be abducted. Some strange boy and his illusions. Figured he was a dark wizard."  
  
Hermione's expression flickered. "That is the most preposterous thing I've ever heard."  
Ron started to reply, then his attention shifted. "There he is!" Without waiting for Harry, he rushed past Hermione toward the short blond shinobi whom he had spotted through the crowd. He skidded to a stop, glaring down at the much shorter male, who was looking back with a bored expression.  
  
"Ron Weasley!" Hermione's voice cracked as she and Harry both came over. "What are you doing?"  
  
"This one is trouble." Ron said, not his eyes off Naruto. "Dark wizard, I'd bet."  
  
Naruto looked up at him, still bored. "What's a dark wizard?"  
All three stared at him, before Hermione spoke. "You don't know what a dark wizard is?"  
His expression clearly said that he did not. "Nope. Never heard of one. In fact, never heard of wizards before this trip."  
Ron snorted. "Like we believe that."  
"Ron!" Hermione snapped, glaring at him before turning her attention back to Naruto. "There are no wizards where you're from?"  
"Nope." Naruto repeated. "Just shinobi. Samurai show up every so often too."  
"Shinobi?" Ron cut in. "My dad's mentioned them. The Ministry says they're dangerous." He started to say something else, but subsided when he saw Hermione glaring at him.  
  
"Would you mind telling Harry and Ron what you are, Naruto?" Hermione asked.  
"Well...I'm not supposed to tell anyone..."  
  
_Now he wants it to be a secret?_ "That didn't stop you back there with Malfoy, did it?"  
  
"He already knew." Naruto said, stubborn.  
  
"Associating with Malfoy, are we?" Ron asked, venom in his voice. "Guess we know who you bow to, don't we?"  
  
"Ron..." Harry said quietly, but was ignored.  
"Don't know what your problem is, jerk." Naruto snapped. "Don't care. Now shut up."  
"Enough." Hermione hissed. "Ron, quit acting like a prat. Naruto, quit provoking him. Harry, quit standing there and make Ron back off before he gets hurt." As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were the wrong thing to say.  
"This short little rat?" Ron snorted. "Hurt me?"  
  
At this, Naruto's expression turned mischeivous. "Ya know, you look like that jerk I stomped down on Knockturn Alley. Your brother?"  
"Right, like any of my family would be down on Knockturn Alley." Ron snorted again. "Try another one."  
  
Naruto shrugged. "Little bit taller than you. Same stupid look on his face. Yeah, definitely your brother."  
"I do not have a stupid look on my face!" Ron yelled, turning red.  
  
"Course ya don't." Naruto agreed, ignoring Hermione's look of exasperation as she tried to interrupt them. "You've got a stupider look than he did. His mouth wasn't hanging open like an idiot."  
"That is enough!" Hermione snapped, shoving in between them. "Ron, you're behaving like a child. Naruto isn't a dark wizard. He didn't hurt me. Quit letting him provoke you."  
"Why are you defending him?" Ron asked.  
  
"Mebbe because I'm right and you're an idiot?" Naruto asked from behind Hermione, clearly having fun with this.  
  
"Naruto." Hermione said, almost growling. "You're not helping."  
"Not trying to." He retorted. "This guy's being a jerk."  
"And you're not?" she fired back.  
  
He shrugged. "He's a jerk to me. I'm a jerk right back."  
"There's thing called being tactful." Hermione ground out.  
"Tact is just not saying true stuff. Not gonna happen." Naruto retorted.  
_"Being nice is just not saying what you really mean. Not gonna happen"_ Hermione stiffened, then turned to look at Naruto with a frown.  
  
He blinked. "What? Do I have something on my face?"  
"No." she said, shaking her head. It's impossible, isn't it? But... "Never mind."  
"Ok..." Naruto stared at her for a moment, confused, then glanced at Ron. "Is this dip going to glare at me the rest of the day or do I need to move him so I can get by?"  
"Move, Hermione." Ron said in a low growl, his hands twitching.  
  
She looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. Whatever. I did warn you." She calmly stepped out of the way. Ron wasted no time, shoving his hand into his pocket for his wand, then freezing as Naruto was suddenly right in front of him, a kunai pressed none-too-gently against his wrist.  
  
"I took the last redhead's little stick away from him." Naruto said quietly. "You wouldn't like me to do the same to you."  
Ron said nothing, eyes wide as he took in the sharpened edge, plain disbelief written on his face. "What are you?"  
Grinning widely enough that his teeth were showing, the genin answered. "Shinobi."  
The Weasley sibling's eyes widened to the size of saucers and he staggered backward, face pale. "Why are you here?"  
  
Naruto spun the kunai once on a finger, then put it away. "None of your business." He started to say something else, but stopped as a blur of white and black resolved into a familiar figure beside him.  
  
"Naruto." Hyuuga Neji said in greeting, inclining his head to Hermione briefly. "We're leaving. Jiraiya-sama sent me to find you."  
"Eeeeh?" Naruto sighed. "What does the ero-sennin want now?"  
  
Neji almost smiled as he repeated. "We're leaving. We have a train to catch. You don't want to be left behind, do you?"  
"Oh. Right." The blond genin let his arms fall and glanced at Hermione. "I suppose I'll see you in a bit. Sorry about how my sister was behaving. She's a bit of a pain."  
  
Neji gave him an odd look as Hermione replied. "Do try and behave a little better."  
  
"Hah!" he proclaimed, his expression mischievous. "Behaving is boring. I'll never do that."  
She rolled her eyes. "Somehow, I'm not surprised about that. I'll see you later."  
  
Naruto nodded, then vanished with Neji without another word.  
Hermione watched the space where they had stood for a moment, then turned to look at Ron. "Ron Weasley."  
  
The aforementioned male winced at her tone, in the process of inspecting his wrist for any sign of injury. "Um...yes?"  
  
She opened her mouth to unleash a serious rant, then closed it. "Never mind. I don't want to look at you right now. I have to go to Flourish and Blotts to find a book. I do not want to be followed or spied on this time, either." She gave Ron a hard look.  
  
"What're you going to get?" Harry asked, curious.  
  
"Whatever I can find on Chinese curses." She replied over her shoulder, already walking away from the two boys. "I have something I want to research."

"Why'd we stop?" Naruto asked as he glanced over at Neji from the rooftop.  
  
"I want to see something." Neji said simply, raising two fingers before his face. "_Byakugan_!"  
"What are we looking for?" the other genin asked.  
  
Neji ignored him, focusing on the dark haired young man and frowning before releasing the jutsu. "Alright. Let's go."  
"What did you see?" Naruto persisted.  
  
"The one boy." Neji murmured. "Harry, was it? He's had a kinjutsu used on him in the past. A very powerful one. The traces are all over his chakra system."  
  
"Um..." Naruto nodded, his face set in a confused frown. "What's it look like?"  
  
"Green. It's been a long time, so the traces are no longer as prominent as they might have been, but it's everywhere. A very malicious green." Neji replied as they two moved from rooftop to rooftop. "All centered around one particular part of his body too. Must have been where the jutsu struck initially. What I can't understand is how he survived it."  
"Ah, who cares?" Naruto muttered. "Let's just go find the others and get out of this place. The people here are boring."  
Neji permitted himself a faint smile. "Agreed. I can figure out the mystery of that boy later."  
The blond genin merely nodded and the two rushed across the rooftops back toward the meeting place, Neji in the lead.Hermione entered Flourish and Blotts with a frown, wondering if she was mad as she began searching the shelves. "I don't see how people can just switch genders like that, but...I'm positive I read something about a gender curse that originated in China."  
"Gender curses in China?" one of the attendants asked, approaching from the opposite end of the aisle. "I think..." The young man glanced around, then reached up and pulled down a book. "Our most comprehensive text on those. Covers the workings of the sorcerer Lo Pan to other, more obscure curses."  
She flipped through the book, stopping at the index and skimming it. "This is perfect. Thank you." Nodding to the attendant, she made her way to the front and paid for the book, paying no mind to the meager remains of her funds. Smiling to herself, she left Flourish and Blotts, the book held open before her as she walked. She smoothly entered the flow of the crowd, heading back toward the Cauldron so she could gather her things for the train ride to Hogwarts.The party of shinobi moved along the train platform, drawing odd looks from passersby as Naruto yelled at Jiraiya.  
  
"Stupid pervert!" Naruto muttered. "Where the hell is this train at?"  
  
"Would someone please shut him up?" Jiraiya said to no one in particular, looking around. "Platform nine and three-fourths..."  
"There's nine." Chouji said, switching to another bag of chips.  
  
"There's ten." Genma added, giving bored looks to anyone who stared at them for too long.  
  
"But no nine and three-fourths." Anko finished in a taunting sing- song.  
"It's here, it's here." Jiraiya muttered, glancing around to be sure they were being mostly ignored as he stopped between the two sections. "They like hiding things, the wizards do. Like the entrance to Diagon Alley."  
  
"Another stupid puzzle?" Naruto snorted.  
"Not nearly as annoying." Jiraiya answered, tapping the side of the pillar for platform ten that was facing platform nine. "Through here."  
  
"It's a solid wall, fool."  
  
"Hinata, if you would?" Jiraiya glanced back the Hyuuga heir.  
"Um...y-yes." She stepped forward, face red as she engaged her bloodline skill. "T-there's something on the other side. This is a door."  
"Yay! Go Hinata!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist once in the air. "You rock."  
  
"A-a-rigato, Naruto-kun." Hinata stammered, quietly moving toward the back of the crowd.  
  
"So, we just walk right through." Jiraiya said, nodding in appreciation to Hinata. "Take it fast and there should be no problem."  
"Won't we be noticed?" Shikamaru asked, glancing around at the people walking past them in either direction.  
  
Neji shook his head. "The area between the pillars is no doubt spelled in order to divert attention from there. If you don't know that the gateway is here, you'd never notice it. And since we're standing between the two pillars..."  
  
"No one notices us." Ebisu commented.  
  
"Cool." Naruto said, nodding. "Well, let's go!" He turned and stalked through the wall, vanishing into the brick pillar. The other genin followed suit, with the jounin and Jiraiya going last.  
They all plowed into Naruto, who had stopped almost dead on the other side, his eyes wide at the scene before him.  
"What the hell's the big idea, stopping like that?" Jiraiya shouted, his own rant dying as he too noticed the scene before them. His expression darkened at the sight of the robed and masked men running wild on the platform, terrorising the assorted groups of children. Some of them were fighting back, but most were incapable of matching the skills of the attackers. "Chouji, Shikamaru. Take the left. Contain the group chasing the youngest kids. Shino, Ebisu, take the train. If there are any, remove them by whatever means you see fit. Anko. You and Hinata will take the right. Keep any more from getting on the train. Genma, Neji, keep them from getting out through this doorway. No one leaves that way.. Naruto, you're with me."  
  
"What are we doing?" the young genin asked as the group split up into their assigned tasks.  
  
"We're taking the ringleaders." Jiraiya murmured. "That bunch in the center."  
"Who threatens a bunch of kids?" Naruto wonder, his expression darkening slowly. "That's stupid and cowardly."  
  
"They're looking for someone, I expect." Jiraiya replied. "The question is...who?"  
"Doesn't matter." Naruto growled, his eyes flashing red just once. "They've found me."  
  
"Keep your temper." Jiraiya warned. "We don't need an incident. The kyuubi coming out now would cause just as much panic if you let it get out of control...Move!" Both sidestepped the spells coming out them from behind.  
"I've got these two." Naruto snapped, falling back and charging the masked men that had flanked them. He skidded to a halt, grinning at them.  
  
"Mudblood lover!" one of them shouted, firing a beam of red light at Naruto, who sidestepped it easily.  
  
"Too slow." He replied, his grin turning sadistic as he charged, smoke billowing up and replacing him with six duplicates of himself. They circled the men, then charged as one, two sliding in and kicking them up into the air. The other four appeared above, slamming kicks into the men that sent them back down to the platform with a thud. Certain that they were out, Naruto grabbed their wands and broke them, moving to catch up with Jiraiya.  
"_Kuchiyose no jutsu_!" Jiraiya's voice cracked, and a giant toad appeared beneath him. Its huge tongue shot forth, grabbing one of the three men who appeared to be leading and slamming him down forcefully. "You would be wise to surrender."  
  
"Interloper!" the center man shouted, raising his wand to attack. Naruto appeared before him a kick slamming into the man that sent him flying down the platform. The last remaining one brought his own wand around, but was caught by the toad's huge tongue and given the same treatment as his companion.  
"We're being slaughtered!" one of them shouted to the leader, who was climbing to his feet slowly.  
  
"Reinforcements." He bared one of his forearms and laid his hand over it, then smiled nastily at the genin and his sensei. "You're all going to regret interfering in our affairs now." He began laughing, as another group of similarly dressed people appeared behind him.  
  
"Hear that, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, dismissing the summoned toad and landing on his feet. "We're going to regret this."  
"Pfft." Naruto rolled his eyes. "One of them. Ten of them. It won't matter."  
Jiraiya smirked, looking over the group arrayed before them. "Still. There are too many people in our way. I believe we should change the choice of battlegrounds."  
  
"Whaddya mean?" Naruto demanded, ignoring the group of masked assailants as they began to approach.  
  
"Watch." Jiraiya smirked again, then tilted his head back and spoke in a commanding voice. "Anyone who isn't a masked freak, please get on the train in an orderly fashion. NOW!" The students all exchanged looks, then poured into the open doorways for the Hogwarts express, several stopping to help their injured companions.  
  
"You've just made it easier for us to kill you." The leader of the group said, stopping his spiel when one of the others rushed forward to whisper in his ear. "He is? Excellent! Take him as he enters the platform. Our Master will be pleased."  
  
"Neji!" Naruto yelled, a sudden suspicion flaring in his mind as he roared an alert. Behind, he could see Hermione, along with her two friends pushing their carts through the barricade. They all three stopped laughing as they saw the group of masked men there, wands aimed at them. For a moment, there was silence, then one of them spoke.  
  
"The Dark Lord is waiting, Potter." One of them said, triumphant. "Stu..."  
"_Kaiten_!" the man's words were drowned out as Hyuuga Neji appeared between the trio and the masked men. He spun, blue light flaring up around him as the wizards unleashed their attacks, intending to subdue their target. Every single attack was brushed aside, bouncing wildly around the room the instant it struck the sphere of chakra.  
"_Baiku no jutsu_!" Chouji's voice rang out. "_Nikudan Sensha_!" The four masked men found themselves run over by the rapidly moving Chouji, who had enlarged to a massive round sphere of flesh that plowed over the masked men.  
  
"Who the bloody hell are you people?" the leader shouted, starting to raise his wand, then frowning as his arm stopped.  
"Now, now." Shikamaru admonished. "Such language is bothersome." He stood on one side of the main group, hands in his pockets, his shadow stretched to trap all of the people standing before Jiraiya and Naruto.  
"You seem to be a bit outmatched." Jiraiya remarked, crossing his arms. "Maybe you should quit while you're ahead."  
The leader started to reply, then hissed, grabbing his forearm. After a moment, he released his arm and straightened. "We go!" As one all the group vanished, leaving those who were unconscious behind."...What the bloody hell?" Ron Weasley said, staring around at the chaos in front of them, then looking at the train and the cheering that emerged as the students there had all started applauding the strangers.  
"Train's leaving, children." Jiraiya said, walking over. "Get loaded. Explanations later." He kept an eye around, pausing to kick one of the men in the head when he started to rise.  
  
"Let's go, Ron." Hermione murmured, pushing past with her cart. The bewildered Weasley followed, with Harry coming up in the rear.  
  
Harry stopped, turning to look at Neji. "Thank you."  
  
Neji glanced at him once, nodded, then returned to whatever he was watching out for.  
  
"Alright, show's over." Jiraiya said. "The rest of you on the train. We don't need another incident." He pointed toward the train and the genin all started toward it. Jiraiya himself stopped as Genma touched his shoulder.  
  
"Those were..." he began.  
  
Jiraiya raised one hand. "I know. It seems the situation here has deteriorated faster than I thought it would have. We'll discuss that later. We have a train to catch." He started forward as well, not giving the jounin opportunity to do anything more than follow with a faintly amused smirk.  
  
This chapter, along with all that have come before and will after, is devoted to Ralph Gates. 


	5. On the Hogwarts Express

And we're off again. Real Life issues slowed this chapter considerably. But it's here now. Enjoy. Six is in progress. Will come later.

The Griffin and the Fox

Chapter 5 – On the Hogwarts Express

**_Crisis at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters! Chaos in Diagon Alley!_**

_Malicious, mischievous conduct on the part of persons unknown disrupted commerce in Diagon Alley and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters earlier today._

_An altercation between a foreign youth and respected wizard Lucius Malfoy resulted in personal injury and destruction of public and private property, and led to the injury of at least one Ministry official. The foreigner, who is suspected of involvement in Dark magic, accosted Mr Malfoy and his son, Draco, 15, then attempted to flee the scene and escape reprisal. When confronted by Ministry wizards and arrested, he became belligerent, resisting arrest, injuring Ministry official Percy Weasley and fleeing pursuit by other officials._

_"He was a crude, rebellious, vile, uncouth rapscallion, and I think he should be locked away in Azkaban for the rest of his life," said Mr Weasley._

_The unknown youth used an illusionary spell to elude capture, and joined up with a group of foreign wizards who claim diplomatic immunity. _

_"I really don't blame the boy," says Mr Malfoy of the incident. "He was only protecting the honour of his girlfriend, or so it seemed. We were all young, in love, and foolish once. I believe it would be for the best if he were properly chastised, of course."_

The foreign wizards appeared later in the day at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, where they assisted Hogwarts students in boarding the Hogwarts Express when a group of unknown persons attempted to prevent passage to the school train. The Minister for Magic had no comment on the incident on the platform at press time.

Jiraiya sighed, setting the paper down and glaring at his protégé. "You might have chosen a less noticeable method of escaping pursuit than filling Diagon Alley with your kage bunshin and having half of them turn into the young lady. And flashing her underwear when you tossed her over your shoulder." He fell back onto the bench in the cabin they were in, frowning, then looked up.

"However, it was an inventive way of creating a distraction." He added, his grin lecherous.

"Stupid pervert." Naruto muttered, glowering. "What did all that trash mean?"  
"It means, moron," Jiraiya snorted in reply. "That you've made yourself persona non grata at the Ministry. They suspect you and Naruko of being possible dark wizards, at worst. Mere pranksters, at best. Though I suspect the distinction is a very fine one." His gaze turned back to the paper, clearly worried.

"Che," Naruto scoffed. "If those dumbasses are all they've got, let them think whatever. They were wimps."

"And you're a fool." Jiraiya snapped. "You handled them then, yes. But they had no idea what they were dealing with and were clearly little more than grunts, anyway. Disposable tools. Most likely sent at the behest of this Malfoy character. If your actions draw the Ministry's full wrath, you'll face their best. And in superior numbers. The only way you'll have to deal with them will NOT improve their opinion of you."

"We'll just make sure that doesn't happen, won't we?" Naruto said with a grin, dismissing the subject.

Jiraiya stared at Naruto for a moment, his left eye twitching, then he sighed. "You would look at it that way, wouldn't you?"

"Cheer up, ero-sennin," Naruto said, eyeing one of the blue-gold pentagonal boxes they'd picked up from the food cart earlier before beginning to open it up. Inside sat a frog made of chocolate. "Chocolate frog?"  
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "At least it's not a toad…" He reached out for the treat, then blinked as it leapt into the air…

To be caught in mid-arc by Chouji, who looked at it quizzically, then tossed it into his mouth. "Not bad."  
"Are you done with your secret meeting?" Shikamaru asked from behind Chouji, his expression as bored as ever.

"Oi, Chouji!" Naruto shouted. "That was mine!"

"Yes, yes." Jiraiya told Shikamaru, raising his voice to cut off Naruto's burgeoning tirade. "Call everyone in. I need to hand out the genin's assignments and explain what we're really here for."

"Tell me later." Naruto said, getting up with a glare at Chouji. "I'm going to go take a walk."  
"Fine, fine." Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Don't blame me if you don't like your assignment, then."  
"How bad could it be?" Naruto threw back, waving a dismissive hand as he slipped out the door.

"You'll find out." Jiraiya muttered, a grin forming as the others came in and seated themselves in the crowded room. "Now, despite our delinquent running out on us, I'm going to go ahead and tell you all why we're here."  
"Not for relearning our basics, I take it?" Neji asked, glancing at Jiraiya from the doorway.

"Not at all." The elder said. "Though our cover is that of exchange students, broadening our horizons."

"Then what are we doing here?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Certain students at the school are likely to be in danger throughout the school year, after the events of last year." Jiraiya explained. "Our assignment is to keep an eye on them and ensure their safety if the situation becomes too much for them to handle."

"Why would they be in danger?" asked Genma, who was leaning against the wall near Anko and Ebisu.

Jiraiya's expression darkened. "Lord Voldemort."

Neji exchanged a look with Hinata, both paling visibly. "But he was killed, wasn't he?"

"Apparently, he wasn't dead enough." Ebisu murmured, adjusting his glasses. "And the end of last term at Hogwarts, one of his followers engineered his return to full power."

Neji's face reddened. "And you've brought us into the middle of this? Endangered Hinata-sama by bringing her near that monster?"

"Were it not for certain members of our group…" Jiraiya muttered. "No one would know we were anything more than a group of foreign students."

"Furthermore," Ebisu took up the narrative as Jiraiya fell silent. "We've already had a taste of his followers. I believe it was established that we can deal with them with little difficulty."

"I'm not stupid, you know." Neji retorted. "They were not expecting _children_ to fight back with such strength. Unless they're completely incompetent, they'll learn from that and be better prepared next time."

"You think there will be a next time?" Jiraiya asked, a gleam in his eyes.  
"I did notice that they were aiming at a specific person." Neji said. "The one called Harry Potter."

Anko smirked. "Not surprising. It was a baby named Harry Potter who defeated Voldemort years ago."

"You know, he doesn't sound too terrifying if a baby defeated him." Shikamaru remarked.  
"It was due to his mother's sacrifice." Shino murmured, speaking for the first time. When everyone turned to look at him, he shrugged. "What? My father sometimes carried out assignments to the Minstry and would spy while there. That was what he learned. His mother took the first strike in defense of the baby and when Voldemort pressed on, the second death curse rebounded on him."

"Anything else you can share?" Jiraiya asked, curious.

Shino paused, considering. "The majority of the population are terrified beyond thought of him. They won't even speak his name. They either call him He Who Must Not Be Named or You Know Who."

"Do we have to do the same?" Shikamaru asked. "What a bother."

"Simply avoid talking about him." The legendary ninja said. "Our business is not with him, rather it is protecting certain students. Which brings me to your assignments." He reached into the pack at his side, withdrawing several folders.

"After last year, it is believed that there are eight students who will be the targets of Voldemort and his followers. Four are siblings. We'll deal with them first." he flipped through the folders, then withdrew one. "Fred and George Weasley. Seventh year students. All told, they probably are fairly low priority on the target list, but because they are established friends of the Potter boy, they are a potential target…."  
"If for no other reason than to get at him?" Genma inquired.

Jiraiya nodded. "Exactly. Therefore, someone needs to be assigned to them. That'll be you, Chouji."

Chouji accepted the folder. "I'm guessing we only guard them if there's an actual problem?"

"If there life is threatened, act as you see fit. But unless you judge them completely incapable of handling a situation, do your best to avoid drawing any further attention to us." Jiraiya clarified, then selected another folder. "The next sibling. Ronald Weasley. Fifth year. One of Potter's closest friends. Definite target. Shikamaru?"

A faintly curious expression crossed Shikamaru's face. "Ah. Him. Could be interesting."

"The last of the Weasley siblings." Jiraiya selected another folder. "Ginevra Weasley. Ginny for short. Fourth year. Possible target for subversion due to being controlled by an artifact of Voldemort's during her first year, as well as rumors of being romantically linked to Potter, which, again, makes her a target. Hinata, you'll be assigned to her."

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama." Hinata said, her voice firm, but two spots of red on her cheeks as she accepted the folder.

"Harry Potter himself." Jiraiya held up a fifth folder. "Number one target of Voldemort and most likely the one who will take him down in the end. Has defied him multiple times in his previous school years and survived a duel with him when his return to power was accomplished. Despite this, he's had very little formal preparation for what he may have to do and luck and raw courage have seen him through those encounters. Neji. He's yours. I want you to do what you can to try and temper any brashness you encounter. If possible, give him at least some taijutsu training, if you think he can keep up. Any help we can give him is a good idea. He'll need it."

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama." Neji said, repeating what his cousin had said as he took the folder and fell into silence, studying it.

"Neville Longbottom. During the prior war, his parents were strong opponents of Voldemort's side. After his demise, they were driven mad by torture through the actions of a few of his supporters, hoping to find their master and return him to power. Since Voldemort has been revived, it is likely that they won't stay imprisoned for long and the one primarily responsible, Bellatrix Lestrange, may seek to do the same to the son as she did to the parents. Also, my intel suggests he may be a powerful ally for Potter when the time comes. Shino. You'll take him. Do what you can." Jiraiya passed the folder over.

"You mentioned eight students, though." Genma said, glancing at the genin, then to Jiraiya.  
"Two left." Jiraiya agreed. "First. Draco Malfoy. Fifth Year. Strongly likely he will be a prime candidate for recruitment to Voldemort's side shortly. His father is undoubtedly one of the Death Eaters, as they style themselves. You and Naruto have met him already, as a matter of fact, Neji."  
"An arrogant little snot, convinced he's lord and master of the world." The Hyuuga said without inflection. "His father was polished and well-mannered, but clearly knew of us."

"This one could be a useful tool, actually." Ebisu commented. "If he's as arrogant as you say… it would be a simple matter to inflate his sense of self even further and make him into a unknowing mole."

"It's good that you've thought of that, Ebisu." Jiraiya remarked. "Since that is going to be your assignment. I have complete faith that you'll be able to make the younger Malfoy dance to our whim. Anko. Genma. You'll be my assistants as I teach this Defense against the Dark Arts class. Also, you'll keep an eye on the grounds, scout out any hidden passages. The usual routine. I want to know how defensible this place is by the end of the first week."  
Genma nodded, "Easily done."  
"What about the other one, Jiraiya-sama?" Anko asked, indicating the remaining folder.

"Oh…this one?" Jiraiya's grin returned, a wicked edge to it. "I think Naruto will do quite well here."

"_I really don't blame the boy," says Mr Malfoy of the incident. "He was only protecting the honour of his girlfriend, or so it seemed."_ Ron read aloud, then dropped the Prophet to glare at Hermione. "His girlfriend?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, disgusted. "Since when do we believe any of the filth printed in the Prophet?"

"You did seem pretty to be pretty good chums when he's carting you around Diagon Alley, showing your knickers off to everyone in sight." Ron retorted.

Her cheeks reddened. "Ronald Weasley. Who I show my knickers to is absolutely none of your business. Naruto is not my boyfriend and you are an even bigger idiot than usual to be believing anything in the Prophet after last year." She stood up.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked, an irritated look at Ron passing unnoticed by the red-head.

"Anywhere is better than here at the moment." She said. "Especially given some people's paranoia." She turned, the door to the cabin sliding open before she had taken a step.

"Well, well, well." A voice familiar to all three chuckled. "If it isn't the Mudblood, Weasel, and Potty."

"Malfoy." All three said, almost in unison.

"Bet you thought that was pretty good, the way you embarassed me and Father, mudblood?" he sneered, taking a step into the cabin, Crabbe and Goyle grinning behind him. "Liked that, I'd wager."  
"It was pretty funny." Hermione retorted. "I especially liked when he punched that smirk off his face." Harry and Ron exchanged a look behind her, confused.

"'Mione…?" Harry asked.

"Not now, Harry." She replied. "Draco and I were just having a conversation about how pathetic his daddy is, to get beaten up by a little boy."

"You take that back, mudblood." The younger Malfoy snapped. "I won't have you insulting my father with your filthy tongue!"

"You really need to work on the insults." A new voice interjected, an orange and blue-clad figure pushing past Draco. Hermione felt a twitch somewhere in the vicinity of her forehead as the newcomer interposed herself between the two groups. "Mudblood this. Filth that. Weasel, I can see from the name. But…Potty? That's just stupid."

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Draco demanded scornfully, looking at the girl. "One of Potter's mudblood friends? Or….wait. You're related to that little nuisance who embarassed Father!"  
"Noticed, did you?" Naruko sneered. "What clued you in?"  
"The stupid birthmarks, I suppose." He retorted. "Doesn't matter. I think I'll use you to send your brother a message."  
"Slow and stupid." She murmured. "If my…brother… humiliated your daddy so bad…what makes you think you'll do better?"  
Draco growled, his hand going for his wand as his temper broke at last.

"What's going on here?" yet another person demanded, the unfamiliar voice checking Draco's motion. "Causing trouble for respectable people with your shamelessness again?"  
Naruko's eyes narrowed. "Sucking up to people again, closet-pervert?"  
Ebisu reddened. "Arrogant little…" He shook himself. "In fact, I'm here on business that has nothing to do with you. Master Malfoy?" He bowed to the blonde, who was clearly confused.

"Who are you?" he asked, cautious.

"My name is Ebisu." Came the answer, the jounin dropping into a kneeling position. "As part of this year's student exchange, I have accompanied my companions to Hogwarts and it was decided that you would benefit the most from my services as an elite instructor."  
"…elite?" Draco repeated.  
"Yes, sir." Ebisu continued. "My skills were determined to be the best match for a person of such breeding as you. Only you would properly benefit from my extensive knowledge."

Draco smirked, glancing sidelong at the others in the cabin. "At last, someone around here knows how to behave around somebody of stature. I'll deal with your brother later, trash. Come along, Ebisu."  
"Yes, sir." Ebisu rose, then lowered his head, following after Malfoy and his cronies. As he passed out of sight, his eyes met Naruko's for a second, unnoticed by anyone else, then darted back down the hallway he had come from.

"…What the bloody hell was that about?" Ron wondered aloud.  
"Forget it." Naruko shrugged. "The closet pervert sucks up to people. Ignore him." She turned, looking at the three curiously, then frowned at Ron.  
"Oi, carrot?" Ron's eyes jerked upward, his face reddening in anger. "My face is up here."

"I wasn't-" He began.

"Whatever." Naruko cut him off, looking at the other two. "Hello again, Hermione."

Hermione blinked. _I never told her my name, did I? _"Hello."  
Nodding to her, Naruko turned. "And you are?"  
"Harry Potter." He answered.

"Uzumaki Naruko." The girl said. "Transfer student."

"I didn't see you on the platform." Hermione commented.

Naruko grinned, popping a piece of gum into her mouth. "You weren't looking hard enough, then."

Hermione's expression chilled and she reached into her pocket, her wand emerging to point at the girl. "_Finite Incantato_."

Naruko stared at the wand, then spoke "The lot of you have issues pointing these things at people, don't you? Just wondering, but what exactly are you trying to do to me?"

_…Not an illusion then._ "I'm sorry. I thought…"  
"You think too much." She retorted, then glanced at the other two young men. "Potter. Carrot." Inclining her head to each, she turned to leave, not looking at Hermione.

"Wait!" Hermione called as the girl vanished into the hallway, starting to follow. "Insufferable arrogant…"

Harry and Ron stood in the cabin, looking at the open door.

"What just happened?" Ron asked.

Shrugging, Harry sat down and picked up the Prophet. "Not a clue."  
"Don't you care? She could be a dark witch!" Ron protested.

Harry looked at him over the paper. "I agree with 'Mione. You see Dark Witches under the bed."

"I do not!" Ron muttered. "She was insulting."

"Definite proof of being Dark, there." Harry said under his breath. "She caught you staring. What did you expect? Her to be polite and offer you a better view?"

"I wasn't staring." Ron argued, voice sullen.

"Let's just drop it." Harry told him, digging through the pile of wizarding treats he'd purchased.  
"Every Flavor Beans?"

"Sure." He caught the package, still looking like he wanted to continue the argument. He sampled the candy, letting silence descend on the cabin, then sat the package down. "But don't you think…"

"No." Harry answered

"I mean…"

"I think Hermione's completely capable of taking care of herself. The girl, her brother, and the rest don't seem to be interested in trying to hurt us." Harry said.

"They're _Shinobi_." Ron muttered, as if that explained everything.

"So?"

Ron stared at him. "Are you mental? Shinobi are a dangerous bunch of fanatics obsessed with violence. Everyone knows _that._"

Harry's expression darkened. "Just like everyone knows Parselmouths are evil, right? And just like everyone KNOWS werewolves are all dangerous, and how everyone KNOWS Sirius Black is a murderer?"

Paling, Ron spoke. "I didn't think…"  
"No, you didn't." Harry snapped, standing. "You never do, Ron." He walked out of the cabin without looking back.

"Would you just wait a second?" a breathless voice called out.

Uzumaki Naruko sighed, stopping in front of the door into the next part of the train. "Why?"

Hermione stumbled to a halt behind the girl. "I wanted to apologise. I…"

A large bubble of gum popped in her face, interrupting what she'd been about to say. "Forget it."

"But…"

"Did you hurt me?"

"No."

"Then there's no problem. Just forget it." Naruko blew another bubble, then popped it as well. "Lots more important things to worry about than whether I'm offended by you pointing a little stick at me."

Hermione frowned. "Like?"

"What people will think of you when they learn you were letting yourself be molested by a dangerous shinobi?" Naruko advanced on her, grinning in amusement.

"Your brother did not molest me." Hermione replied. "He embarassed me. There's a difference."

"Wasn't talking about my 'brother'." Naruko's grin widened as she continued forward.

The other girl stared blankly at the blonde for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Well, I'm flattered, but I'm really not interested in that sort of thing."

"Not yet." Naruko contradicted.

Her expression hardened. "You aren't exactly painting a good picture of shinobi, you know. Do you all go about making inappropriate suggestions to girls you've only recently met?"

The kunoichi's expression turned wicked. "Ero-sennin was behaving around you or you'd know better than to ask that question."

"Hermione?" a familiar voice intruded on her thoughts. She jerked her head around, spotting Harry standing at the end of the car, clearly unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Harry!" she said in relief, moving clear of the blonde to stand near her friend. Naruko merely looked amused, still.

"You alright, 'Mione?" Harry asked, glancing from her to the other, not liking the feelings hanging in the room.

"Yes." She answered. "Naruko was being… rude."

"Rude?" Naruko laughed. "That's a word for it, right…" She turned her head toward one of the nearby cabins, frowning.

"You should apologise to her." Harry said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry." Naruko waved a hand, dismissive. "Go back to your cabin with Carrot."

"What?" Harry and Hermione said at once.

"Something bad. Go. Now."

"Harry." Hermione said, catching his attention as she pointed at a nearby window, that was glazing over with ice crystals.

"Dementors." He took a deep breath and drew his wand.

Naruko snatched it from his hand. "Didn't you hear me? Go!"

"But they're Dementors!"

Naruko stared blankly. "And? You're going to save us all from them?"

"The _Patronus _charm is the only thing that can drive them off." Harry said, trying to grab his wand back.

She regarded him, bemused, then glanced toward the outside again. "No more arguing. Go. I'll give this to ero-sennin to make sure you don't misbehave. We're here to protect the lot of you, not the other way around." She turned and walked through the door behind her, stopping as Harry grabbed her arm.

"Give it back!" he snarled.  
Naruko looked at his hand on her upper arm, then him and popped a bubble in his face. "No." There was a sound like a balloon popping and smoke enveloped her, leaving Harry standing there holding an empty chocolate frog package and no sign of the blonde girl.

Hermione and Harry stood there for a moment, then Harry started toward the door. "I'm going to get my wand back."

"I really don't think that's a good idea, Harry." Hermione protested, following after him in spite of that. "They're probably more capable than you're giving them credit."

"Don't care. Just want my wand back." He replied, heading through the door, but stopping halfway as he felt the familiar chill of the Dementors above them. They exchanged a look, then set out at a run in the direction Naruko had to have gone.

"Oi, ero-sennin." Naruto called, entering the cabin were the others were. "Keep this for me." He tossed the wand at the older man.

Jiraiya fielded the catch easily. "Where'd you get this?"

"The Potter kid." Naruto replied. "Was planning to play hero. Also, I didn't take it from him."  
"…I thought I told you not to do that." Jiraiya said sternly.

"It just happened on its own. Worry about it later, dementors now." Naruto snapped.

"Dementors?" Jiraiya frowned. "Dumbledore and I are going to have a serious talk when we get to Hogwarts about leaving important details out. Anko."

"Jiraiya-sama?" Anko replied.

"You and Shino are to guard the rear entrance of the train. The dementors are most likely to attempt entry there. Most of the first years are back there, which means they'll have themselves quite a feast. Dementors aren't exactly physical creatures, so you'll need to use any pure chakra attacks you can draw on. The more you can put into the attack, the better your chances of injuring or driving them away. Be warned, though. They induce despair and depression by their presence, so pay attention to your state of mind at all times. Go." The pair nodded, departing quickly.  
"Chouji, Shikamaru, find Ebisu. Tell him what I just said about the dementors. He's to remain with whatever students he may be with and ensure their safety."

"Hai, Jiraiya-sama." Chouji bowed and left.

"Genma. Take Hinata. The two of you will patrol the train. If you encounter any dementors, raise the signal and attempt to contain them." Jiraiya nodded to them. "The rest of you are with me."  
"What will we be doing, Jiraiya-sama?" Neji asked.

"We're going outside." The san-nin grinned, shoving open a nearby window. "And taking them on directly."

"I knew he'd say that." Naruto groaned, shaking his head as he followed the silent Neji out the window and onto the roof of the train.

"Any sign of her?" Hermione called, throwing up a door to a cabin and finding the students all trying to crane their necks out the window to track what was happening outside.

"No." Harry called back. "No sign of any of them."

"This cabin's empty!" Ron shouted. "Window's open too."

The other two moved to join him and Harry shoved past his friends, sticking his head out the window and glancing around while fighting the press of the wind. Several cars down, he briefly saw an orange blur and his expression hardened.

"I'm going out there." He announced, pulling back into the cabin and turning on his heel.

"What?" Hermione demanded.

"Are you bloody mental?" Ron shouted. "There's dementors out there!"

"And that girl took my wand and she's out there. I'm going to get it back and help." Harry replied.

"How, exactly?" Hermione inquired, crossing her arms.

"What?" Harry said, blinking.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Harry." Hermione continued. "We're on a very fast moving train. As Ron has no doubt carried on at length, Naruko and her friends are _Shinobi_. They can climb out the windows and stand up on top a train. You've been able to do the same since….when, exactly?"

Harry glared, then smirked. "My Firebolt." He brushed past her.

"Harry!" he heard her call as he started down the corridor at a run. "You can't be serious!" He ignored her as he skidded to a halt in front of their cabin and threw the door open. Hermione and Ron caught up to find him throwing his trunk open and extracting the Firebolt.

"This is insane, Harry." Hermione said, blocking the doorway. "You're going to get hurt."

"Move, Hermione." Harry ground out, glowering at her and Ron, who gave him a helpless look.

"No."

"Fine." He turned his back on her, shoving the window open. He mounted his broom and shot through the window before either could react.

Hermione stood there for a moment, face set. "What. An. Idiot."

The wind tore at the three ninja as they scanned the skies above, tracking the black figures swooping above.  
"It's cold." Naruto muttered.

"Ignore it." Jiraiya said. "It's just their effect. Like genjutsu, except you can't dispel it."

"Byakugan would be detrimental, then?" Neji asked.

The elder nodded. "It would probably enhance the effect they have as your awareness expands."

"It would be difficult to use the Hyuuga techniques, then." Neji mused. "But not impossible. If chakra is damaging to them, any strike would work to our advantage."  
"I also…" Jiraiya trailed off, swearing under his breath as his eyes caught something. "Damn fool child!" He swore several more times as the young man on the broom zoomed toward them, then motioned for Neji and Naruto to step aside. Face set, Jiraiya waited as the young man approached.  
"Where is she?" Harry snapped as soon as he dismounted. "I want my wand back!"

"She's busy." Jiraiya retorted. "Go back inside. It's not safe out here."  
"I want my wand!" Harry shouted again. "I can help!"  
"No." Jiraiya replied, staring at Harry. "You can't. Go back inside now. I'll see that your wand is returned to you once we're out of danger!"

"No!"

The elder sighed. "I really don't have time for this." He looked up at the Dementors soaring above them, then at the three young men.  
"You two keep their attention while I deal with this." Jiraiya stated, his gaze turning to regard Harry alone. "You're coming with me."

"The hell I am!" Harry snarled, rounding on Naruto. "Where's your sister and what'd she do with my wand?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not a clue."

"Naruto." Neji walked over, his gaze tracking the Dementors above as he leaned down, speaking softly to the blond genin.

"You think it'll work?" Naruto replied, a grin spreading across his features as the Hyuuga nodded. "Oi, Ero-sennin. Take care of the brat. We've got an idea."  
"Be careful." Jiraiya said, his hand shooting out in a blur to snatch the Firebolt away from Harry. "I'll take that."

"Hey!" Harry made a dive for the broom, but found himself grasping only air as the man sidestepped his lunge. A hand clamped down on his shoulder, forcibly steering him away from the center of the train.

"Quiet." Jiraiya snapped, easily blocking the boy's attempts to struggle as he easily dropped down onto the platform linking the two cars and slid open a door, shoving Harry in. "Stay there. You're just going to be in the way."

The last thing Harry heard as the door slammed shut in his face was the clearly audible voices of the two young men.

"_Byakugan!"_

"_Kage Bunshin no jutsu!_"

To Be Continued.


	6. How I Survived the Hogwarts Express

The six Naruto clones spread out in a circle around Neji, each holding out their right hand. The real Naruto's eyes locked with his fellow genin, who nodded. Naruto nodded in return and the Rasengan began to form in each one's outstretched hand. A second passed, then they moved together, raising their hands until the chakra flowed together into a ring that crackled with power.  
Sweat quickly appeared on Naruto's face as he kept the band contained and moving, then looked to Neji. "Now."  
The same moment he relaxed his hold on the chakra, Neji _moved._  
"_Kaiten!_"

The Griffin and the Fox

Chapter 6

How I Survived the Hogwarts Express

Harry stared at the ceiling above them in the train as it visibly sagged, leaving a hemispherical bulge hanging down.  
"What the bloody hell is going on out there?" Ron demanded, eyes widening at the sight. Hermione said nothing, merely staring silently at the depression, a worried look on her face  
"They're fighting off those things." A voice behind them said. The three of them turned as one, taking in the tall man before them. A bored expression covered his face as he idly chewed on a long piece of wood. Behind him, a girl stood, looking quite nervous as she regarded the trio.  
"How?" Hermione spoke up. "And who are you?"  
"Genma." He answered. "And the usual way, I'd expect."  
"The only thing effective against Dementors is the Patronus charm." Harry muttered sullenly.  
Genma regarded him. "That right?"  
"Yes." Harry snapped. "So they can try all they want. They'll be Kissed in the end." Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried look at the same moment the girl turned away from them, staring at the roof.  
"Naruto-kun." Hyuuga Hinata whispered. "Neji-niisan."

-

Naruto and Neji had a plan.  
But, as everyone knows, no plan survives the first five minutes. Except, in this case, their plan did survive. Not only that, it performed even better than they had hoped. The Rasengan circle whipped the air around Neji to a frenzy, throwing chakra around as bits of it escaped Naruto's control. Add the heavenly spin to that and…

-

Jiraiya could only call what he saw before him a Chakra Tornado. Stretching at least several hundred feet in the air, it shimmered blue as the wind called up by the _Kaiten_ threw the chakra Naruto was pumping into the Rasengan into a twisting cyclone. The Dementors caught in the middle of it would have screamed, were they capable. Mostly they just twisted and tried to flee, thrashing through the air as the chakra slashed into them.

-

One breath. Two. Naruto and his clones pulled their hands back, releasing the chakra they'd been maintaining. A final spin from Neji sent the base of the cyclone soaring upward, still crackling with a solid, rotating band of chakra.

-

Jiraiya whistled, then grinned. "Guess I should help out." He called up a Rasengan of his own, watching the funnel's upward progress before launching the miniature cyclone in his hand at the larger one above.  
The resulting explosion was, to say the least, impressive.

-

Anko caught the railing to steady herself as the train shook. She glanced at Shino, who had staggered to the other railing when the shockwave slammed into the train.  
"What the hell are they doing up there?" she yelled, glancing up along the length of the train.

-

Harry rubbed the back of his head, ignoring the offered hand from the man named Genma.  
"You guys okay?" Harry asked of Hermione and Ron.  
"A bit bruised." Ron complained. "Since when can Dementors do that?"  
"They didn't." Genma answered, glancing at the window. "That would have been Jiraiya-sama and the others fighting them."  
"Trying to kill us all by derailing the train is what you call fighting them?" Ron muttered.  
Genma smirked. "An unavoidable side effect of their offensive."  
"Mad." Ron said under his breath. "They're all bloody mad."

-

Above, the situation had mellowed enough that the three shinobi were given the opportunity to regroup.  
"Not a bad piece of work." Jiraiya commented, eyeballing the Dementors high above as they thrashed, clearly in pain. "Think you can handle the clean up while I go down the train a bit and take care of the ones that escaped that?"  
Neji and Naruto exchanged glances, then both nodded as Naruto spoke. "We've got this."  
"Be careful." Jiraiya cautioned. "Dementors are dangerous."  
"We'll be fine ero-sennin." Naruto replied, turning away to face Neji. "I've got an idea."  
Neji crouched down to listen as above, Dementors wheeled in the air, still thrashing. Jiraiya started off, catching a bit of their conversation as he moved swiftly down the train.  
"Chakra bombs?"  
"Yeah, we…"  
"…That's insane."  
"But it'll work."  
"You're insane."  
"And you're a genius! What could go wrong?"  
"…."  
Jiraiya chuckled, then sped up, not wanting to be near them when Naruto's latest act of insanity unfolded.

-

"_I have no use for such a useless child."_ Hinata stiffened, looking around frightfully. "Um…"  
Genma glanced at her. "What is it?"  
"I h-h-heard…" she began. _"What you do with that failure is no concern of mine!"  
_He peered at her, then nodded. "Don't listen to them, focus on a happy thought. I'll go find it."  
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked, watching as the pale-faced girl's trembling grew progressively worse as if she heard something none of them could.  
Genma glanced at him as if he were stupid. "What do you think?"  
"One of them's on the train." Harry said, staring at Hinata before looking at Genma. "It got past your friends."  
"Most likely." Genma agreed. "I'll go deal with it."  
"Let me help." Harry told him.  
The two stared at each other for a long moment. "Can you help, is the question."  
"If that stupid girl hadn't taken my wand…" Harry muttered.  
The older man snorted. "You place too much dependence on those. There are other ways."  
Harry opened his mouth to respond when the train shook once more, throwing everyone but Genma to the floor with the accompanying sound of an explosion.  
"They're going to kill us all!" Ron shouted, rubbing the side of his head. Beside him, still trembling and her pale eyes staring at nothing, Hinata did her best to curl up into a ball, whimpering audibly.  
Genma's eyes narrowed and he opened his right hand, chakra flaring to life around it as he spun, all thought for the others in the cabin forgotten as he punched through the glass, his fist grazing against a briefly glimpsed figure in tattered robes before it jerked back, moving out of his immediate range of sight.  
"Watch her." Genma ordered Harry, who looked almost as pale as Hinata. "Borrow someone's wand and be useful instead of whining about the actions of others. Keep them away if any others should appear. I assume you know how from all your complaining earlier."  
Harry glared at him, but nodded. "I'll do it."  
Genma nodded, pushing the door closed after he'd stepped out into the hall, eyes fixed on the looming figure down the train. Chakra flaring around his hands, he rushed to meet it.

-

_ "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Naruto said yet again, drawing out a dozen clones easily. The real one glanced at Neji. "Ready?"  
The Hyuuga prodigy nodded, having dispensed with the family's bloodline limit when they began this attack. "Another one comes."  
"Go!" Naruto said to the clones. Two of them shot forward at the approaching Dementor, Neji following closely.  
_"Tousan!" _Neji slowed, head whipping around in confusion for the source of the voice.  
"Neji! Look out!" Naruto screamed over the howling of the wind. Distracted, the Hyuuga turned to face his fellow genin, then felt his world turn to ice.  
A Dementor floated before him.  
"_Tousan! TOUSAN?"_ again, Neji heard his own voice of years past scream out. The Dementor lunged at him and he felt something flow from him into it, his world darkening.  
"RASENGAN!" a voice he knew quite well shrieked, slamming the vortex of chakra into the back of the creature. It opened its mouth in a soundless cry, the tattered shroud masking its features nearly falling away before it soared off.  
"You ok?" Naruto asked, crowding close to Neji while scanning the area for any sign of an approaching Dementor. "It didn't hurt you?"  
"I…don't know." Neji said. It was so cold. Why? He shuddered.  
"Shit." Naruto swore, watching as the Dementors circled above.  
"_It's him. The filth."  
_Naruto recoiled as if struck, his eyes widening as he stared around.  
_"Get out of my shop, trash! It's all your fault! You hear me!? ALL YOUR FAULT!"  
_The Dementors came closer. Beside him, he felt Neji fall to his knees, crying for his father.  
_"ALL YOUR FAULT!"  
_"No…"  
_"YOUR FAULT!!!"  
_"No!" His knees gave out beneath him as the voices continued.  
_"YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT!"  
_The last thing he saw was a darkened set of tunnels, water covering the floor.

-

Jiraiya cast another Dementor aside with a Rasengan, then looked up as he saw the two boys fall.  
"Damn." He muttered, glancing at the Dementors converging on them. "No choice now.." He brought his thumb to his mouth, starting to bite down.  
**FILTH.**  
The Dementor leaning in to Naruto jerked as if struck, and this time, a wail escaped its grotesque mouth.  
**YOU DARE TO PRESUME TO TOUCH ME?  
**Shrieking now, the Dementor thrashed, trying to escape whatever force held it as crimson chakra sprang up around the blond boy, who climbed to his fight slowly, arms limp at his sides.  
**DIE!  
**The chakra flared up around Naruto, nine tails flailing madly. One whipped across the Dementor, and it was flung away, the chakra spreading across it like a virulent plague. The remaining Dementors wheeled around, then turned to flee, but the chakra swelled up, filling the air with the overwhelming sense of the Kyuubi.

-

Inside the train, all the occupants of the cabin shuddered.  
"What the hell is that?" Ron demanded. "It doesn't feel like aDementor."  
"It isn't." Harry said quietly.  
Hermione stared out the window. "I think it's worse."  
"What's worse than a Dementor?" Ron wondered.  
"Believe me when I say you never want to find out." Genma remarked, re-entering the room.  
"What happened to the one you were fighting?" Hermione asked.  
"It ran away when that started." Genma gestured at the window, where the pulsating red light was visibly illuminating from above. "I don't think they'll bother us now."  
"Nothing's supposed to be effective against a Dementor except the Patronus charm, though." Harry protested.  
Genma just looked at him. "I did say there were other ways. And the Dementor is hardly the most fearsome creature in existence."  
"Again, what's worse?" Ron snorted.  
"Orochimaru." Anko said, appearing in the doorway. "Much worse than your Dementors could ever be."  
"What's an orochimaru?" the Weasley asked.  
Anko grinned nastily. "Believe me when I say you never want to find out."  
Genma chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Cute, Anko."  
Harry opened his mouth to say something, nettled by the fact that they appeared to be ignoring him. His words never came into formation as an ear splitting scream of rage tore through the cabin, causing everyone to clap their hands over their ears. The sound continued for a moment, then faded.  
"Ow." Ron summed up. "What the hell was that?"  
"Genma." Anko said, her face ashen. "That was…"  
He interrupted her. "I know. We should see what's going on."  
"Shino. Stay here with Hinata and these others. Be careful." Anko instructed.  
"Wait!" Hermione called. "You know what that was, don't you?"  
Anko looked at her, an expression Hermione couldn't quite decipher on her face. "Something even worse than Voldemort." Ron gasped, his face paling. Hermione's face paled as well. Harry alone met the statement without reaction, beyond a twitch.  
"Anko."  
"I'm coming." She turned away from Hermione, but added. "And no, Boy Who Lived, Voldemort is not the most terrifying thing in existence, regardless of what you might think." With that, she disappeared out the door, following the Jounin.

-

Jiraiya stared, unsure of what exactly he was seeing. Uzumaki Naruko stood over Neji, clearly protecting the unconscious Hyuuga. And all around her, the crimson chakra of the Nine Tails wreathed, surrounding both in a halo that the Dementors recoiled from.  
"How dare you!" she screamed, the words emphasized as the chakra around her _pulsed._ The nearest Dementor was struck by the energy and it spun away, enveloped in what looked like fire.  
"Voiceless scum!" Naruko snarled. "Oozing from the darkness and giving pretense of being more than slime!" Her hand came up as she released a bone-chilling howl and the nimbus of energy exploded outward, releasing spheres that unerringly struck every Dementor in range.  
"Go back to the shadows and NEVER RETURN!" she pronounced, her hand closing into a fist.  
Those Dementors that had been struck exploded simultaneously. The rest hung there for a long moment, then turned and flitted away, vanishing into the clouds overhead swiftly.  
Naruko stood there for a moment, turning red eyes to regard Jiraiya as he approached. Then, her face blanked and she slumped, changing from one second to the next into Naruto.  
"…ero-sennin?" he croaked. "What happened…?"  
Jiraiya opened his mouth to reply, then stepped forward to catch Naruto as the boy lost consciousness.  
"Jiraiya-sama…what was that?" Genma asked, appearing atop the train next to Neji.  
Troubled, the elder shinobi merely shook his head, staring down at the boy in his arms. "I wish I knew."

-

"Worse than Voldemort?" Ron wondered. "I bloody hope I never see whatever that is."  
"Language, Ron." Hermione said absently, frowning. "I wonder what she meant."  
"I don't believe it." Harry said, still staring at the open doorway. "Things worse than Voldemort? Impossible."  
"Your stunted and miniscule view of the world at large is hardly the most important thing right now." Jiraiya's voice cut in, interrupting the trio. Naruto was slumped against his back, supported by the sage's arms. Behind him, Genma stood, holding Neji similarly. "Anko, if you would get Hinata…?"  
The jounin did so without comment, lifting the comatose girl in her arms.  
"When did she…" Ron murmured, eyes widening.  
"I would wager she passed out when you were busy cosseting golden boy's little temper tantrum." Jiraiya interjected again. "Red, if you would show my companions to a cabin where they can tend to my injured. Hermione, if you'd go with them, please?"  
"What about me?"  
Jiraiya's gaze settled on Harry. "You and I are going to talk."  
"Be careful, Harry." Ron whispered.  
The door closed as the others filed out. Jiraiya waited until he'd heard the soft click, then regarded Harry. "Let's discuss what you tried to do."  
"I was trying to help." Harry said sullenly.  
"You rushed blindly into a situation where aerial combat is a decided disadvantage. That isn't help, that's blindly stupid courage." Jiraiya replied.  
"Like you did better?" Harry asked, his voice rising. "You've got three people unconscious. Is that properly handling the situation?"  
"And how would you have helped?" Jiraiya inquired, sitting down and crossing his arms. "You seem so certain of things. Tell me, how would you have dealt with that many Dementors without your wand to call the Patronus charm?"  
"I…" Harry began.  
"It's a pity. Naruko seemed to think you'd have some concept of knowing when not to rush headlong into a situation like that." The sage remarked. "Clearly, she was mistaken."  
"What do you know?" Harry demanded. "You waltz in here, making such a big entrance and act like you know everything! What gives you the right to decide whether I'm being stupid or not?"  
"Nearly four decades of experience on you?" Jiraiya absently addressed the air. "Half a lifetime spent on the front lines of a war? Shall I go on?"  
"Dumbledore's been around for longer." Harry sneered, seizing on the first thing he could think of.  
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Ah yes. Dumbledore. How good of you to bring him up and save me the trouble. Let's discuss Dumbledore, shall we?"  
The scornful tone the other man said that in nettled Harry. "Professor Dumbledore is…"  
"A great man? Yes." Jiraiya interrupted. "A powerful wizard? Indeed. Accomplished at guiding events to accomplish his goals? Definitely. But let's face it. He's an idiot. Not only that, he has a very bad habit of grooming young men to deal with situations far beyond what they should be allowed to deal with and sending them out to face such things with no support or proper training. I'm looking at just such a case right here."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I'm restating myself, but let's review." Jiraiya said, uncrossing his arms. "You belligerently confronted one of my people, absolutely certain that only YOU had the answer to dealing with the Dementors. Then, when Naruko relieved you of your wand in order to protect you, you decided that you were somehow invincible and rushed out of a moving train on your broom. You then continued your temper tantrum by screaming at us about your wand. As if there weren't more important matters to worry about, like the Dementors. Am I hitting anywhere close to the mark?"  
Harry reddened. "You don't have to be so harsh."  
"Would you listen otherwise?" asked Jiraiya "I really don't understand why your education has been so neglected, or why Dumbledore's seen fit to encourage this sense of recklessness in you. Courage is a useful thing, yes. But only if tempered by the cunning and knowledge of when it is the proper solution to a situation."  
"Who are you people?" Harry demanded, staring at Jiraiya.  
"You don't know?"  
"No!" he exploded. "Ron and Hermione talk repeatedly about Shinobi. Hermione's in awe of you. Ron's scared of you, but neither has told me anything useful at ALL."  
Jiraiya chuckled. "Have a seat, then. And let's talk."  
Taking a deep breath, Harry moved to seat himself; barely catching himself as the train suddenly lurched and released a piercing whistle.  
"It would appear," Jiraiya remarked, his expression unreadable. "That we have arrived."

To be continued.


	7. Welcome to Hogwarts!

Here's chapter 7. Enjoy. But I do have a few things to say.

1. Complaints about how Harry is a whining little brat will be ignored. This is Book V. Harry IS a whining brat right now. Deal with it.

2. Naruko has a relevent part to this story. I just haven't gotten to that yet. She's not going anywhere. Deal with that to.

3. I apologise if this seems pretty harsh, but frankly, I had some really bad news today and the last thing I need to hear is more griping because I'm not writing Fanon!Harry or he's not a glorious hero. Tough. Don't like it? Don't read it. I have no time to cater to your infantile complaints because something in the story rubs you the wrong way.

4. That's it. Chapter 8 is in progress. I'm guessing I'm a fourth to a half of the way through. When I finish it, I'll send it on its way. Enjoy ch7, though.

The Griffin and the Fox

Chapter 7 – Welcome to Hogwarts!

Minerva McGonagall stared at the scene before her in astonishment. The platform was packed with students, all milling about and talking loudly amongst themselves. "Please, step aside." She called. "I'm a Professor." Some of the children noticed her and moved aside, but most remained attentively focused on something else she could not see.  
"Please, let me through!" she repeated, moving forward.  
"If you would?" an unfamiliar voice asked over the clamor of the students. Slowly, the sea of students parted, and the Deputy Headmistress found herself drawing a sharp breath.  
"Oh, Albus, what have you done now?" she said to herself, eyes sweeping across the group that had been the focus of the students attention. _Shinobi.  
_"How are they, Genma?" an imposing white haired man asked, his voice clearly the one who had parted the students for her. The one he had addressed as Genma opened his eyes, raising a hand from one of the three children laying before him. "They've been seriously stressed. But I don't think it's anything that a night's rest won't fix. Should I…?"  
"Yes." The man said, his voice brooking no argument or questions from anyone.. "Anko, assist him." A dark haired young woman, wearing the most inappropriate clothes stepped into sight and easily lifted the darker haired girl across her back. The one known as Genma knelt and somehow balanced the two young men, one of which was clearly a relative of the girl, across his shoulders. Without another word, they vanished, but without the sound usually accompanying apparation. The white haired man rose from his crouch and turned to regard McGonagall.  
"Sorry about that." He said without preamble. "Bit of trouble on the way here."  
"Trouble?" McGonagall asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.  
"Well, there was the problem at the station with the men in cloaks." He mused. "Then there were the Dementors…"  
"Dementors?" her voice took on a sharp note. _I'll flay Albus alive for this. What was he thinking?_ "What Dementors?"  
"The ones that attacked the train, Professor." A voice she recognised said. "The shinobi chased them off."  
"I…see." McGonagall glanced at the large man. "Your work?"  
"Some." Jiraiya admitted. "Mostly the two boys you saw there, however."  
"You let CHILDREN…" she began.  
"And you don't?" he cut her off. "Spare me your righteous indignation, please. At least we attempt to see that they're properly trained and prepared for any situation."  
Her cheeks colored. "It has never been our practice to send children off to war, or to be used as killers. Nor do we ask them to take on more than they are prepared for."  
"No?" Jiraiya's face darkened. "Explain your Mr. Potter, then."  
"I won't stand here and argue with you." McGonagall replied.  
"Fair enough." He nodded. "I'll take my complaint up with Dumbledore directly, then." He jerked his head in signal to the others behind him and brushed past her without a word.  
Minerva McGonagall stood there for a moment, furious, then shook herself and looked around. "First years are to meet Hagrid at the end of the platform, the rest of you, carriages are waiting."

-

"Naruto."  
"Nnn…"  
"Naruto-kun?"  
"… Hinata-chan?"  
"I think he's waking up."  
"Don't talk so loud, bastard." The blond grumbled. "Sound like a freight train."  
"…Idiot."  
"N-N-Naruto-kun, are you hurt?"  
"Head hurts." He muttered, pushing himself into a sitting position and cracking open one eye. He heard a faint chuckle as he fell back, whimpering at the piercing pain the brightness of the room caused. "I heard that, bastard."  
"J-just lay there, Naruto-kun." He heard Hinata say from somewhere to his right. "Pomfrey-san said if you woke, the headache would pass quickly."  
"I think she underestimated how quickly he'd do something stupid and aggravate his concussion." Neji remarked.  
Naruto's eyes shot open. "You really are a prick, you know that, Neji?"  
"So you've said." The Hyuuga replied, smirking. "But you're not whimpering like a dog now, are you?"  
"…. You're right. I'm not. Huh."  
"…Idiot."  
"Self-important jackass."  
Hinata stared at them. "Neji-nii-san, that's not a very nice thing to say."  
"Nice? No. True? Absolutely."  
"Just you wait until I get out of this bed," Naruto growled. "I'll kick your ass again."  
Hinata watched them for a moment more, then heard a small laugh escape her lips. She immediately covered her mouth, face reddening and glanced in their direction to find them staring at her.  
Naruto glanced at Neji. "Did she just…"  
"Yes, she did."  
"Are you feeling alright, Hinata-chan?"  
"Hinata-sama, were you hurt by the things on the train?"  
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she shifted her gaze from one of them to the other, then her face turned even redder as she ducked her head down. "I-I'm sorry."  
"Why are you apologising?" Naruto asked, then swivelled his head to look at Neji. "Why is she apologising? Did you do something to her while I was asleep?"  
"Unconscious."  
"What was that, bastard?"  
"I said you were unconscious." Neji retorted. "You passed out like a faint-hearted girl."  
"You take that back!" Naruto lunged at him.  
"Um…"  
"You're probably right, Hinata-sama," Neji commented, looking down at Naruto. "Planting your face in the floor likely does hurt."  
"When I get up, I'm really going to kick your ass." Naruto groaned.  
"Of course you are." Neji agreed. "But for now, let's get you back in bed before that woman comes back. She'll no doubt try to shove more strange potions down your throat." He smoothly slid from his own cot and moved over to help his fellow genin up.  
"When do the floor become so hard?" Naruto wondered as he sat down on the edge of the bed.  
"When, indeed." A sharp voice neither of the trio were familiar with wondered aloud. "I would presume you three are some of our…guests this year?"  
All three sets of eyes swivelled to regard the dark robed man who had entered the wing, completely unnoticed by any of them. He was fairly imposing, dark hair framing a set of features with an expression that could only be described as disdainful.  
"And if we are?" Naruto challenged before either Neji or Hinata could speak.  
The man moved slightly in a gesture that _might_ have been a shrug. "I confess to curiousity. It has been some time since I've encountered your kind."  
Neji moved from where he was standing next to Naruto, not liking the way the man had said that. "And?"  
"I am well-versed in your culture, so don't assume that your attempt to distance yourself from those two so you can attempt some _jutsu_ or such has gone unnoticed, young man." The man said. "I have no harmful intentions toward any of you at this time. I am, as I said, merely curious."  
"About?" Naruto asked.  
"You, boy."  
"Me?" the blond blinked. "Why me? And who are you, anyway?"  
"Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House." The man pronounced. "As to your other question… I am curious what prompted you to recklessly attack Lucius Malfoy on behalf of that know-it-all Granger."  
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I don't think I like your attitude."  
"Should I care?" Snape questioned. "It hardly has bearing on my question. Why?"  
"Why what?"  
Snape's eyes narrowed. Was the boy being deliberately evasive? "Why did you attack him?"  
"Him…" Naruto frowned, thinking. "Oh! You mean that snooty bastard with the miniature clone of himself that was following him around!"  
One of the man's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Putting aside your rather…unique view of him and his son, yes, that is who I meant."  
Naruto swung his legs around onto the bed and leaned back against the headboard. "No reason. Just didn't like him."  
"You…didn't like him?" Snape repeated these words, as if he didn't quite believe what he was hearing. "That's your answer?"  
"Well…" Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "There's also the the fact that he was rude, nasty to someone who had done nothing to him that I had seen and just generally behaved as if he owned the world. Do I really need any other reason to want to punch his lights out?"  
"Indeed." The man swept his robes around himself in a flourish, his face once more giving away nothing. "I would say thank you for answering my questions, but frankly, your insolence does not warrant such pleasantries." He swept from the room before Naruto could reply.  
"Neji." Naruto said, staring at the empty doorway. "Is it me or are there a lot of jerks around here?"  
"You've met less than ten of the people in this culture so far, Naruto." Neji pointed out. "It wouldn't do to assume that everyone is a jerk just from interacting with so few."  
"Huh?" Naruto stared at him blankly, then looked at Hinata. "Hina-chan, what did he just say?"  
"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, face red as she looked down at her hands. "He said you should meet more people before you decide if they're all...jerks."  
"Thanks, Hina-chan, you're the best!" he glanced back at Neji, not noticing how much redder Hinata's face got when he said that. "Why didn't you just say so?"  
"You really are an idiot." Neji sighed. "I did."  
"I'm not an idiot." Naruto protested "And you didn't."  
"Did."  
"Didn't."  
"Did."  
"Didn't."  
"…I am not continuing this idiocy."  
"Hah! I win!"  
"Hopeless."  
"You're just mad because you lost."  
"I didn't."  
"Did."  
"…No."  
They again turned to glanced at Hinata, who had released a sound suspiciously like a giggle once more.  
"You sure you're ok, Hina-chan?"  
"She does look a little faint, don't you think, Naruto?"  
"Um…"  
"Are you comfortable, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked.  
"I know!" Naruto said suddenly. "Let's read her a bedtime story!"  
He stopped from where he was about to stand up as he found them both staring at him. "What? Iruka-sensei always used to read them to me when I…" He stopped, his face darkening.  
"Naruto-kun…?" Hinata said softly, worried at the sudden shift in his mood.  
"It's nothing." He shook his head, then glanced around. "I wonder where they put my shoes."  
"Pomfrey-san said we should stay until she came back to check on us." Neji remarked.  
"Eh." Naruto shrugged. "I'm going to go for a walk. Maybe find my shoes. See you two later." He gave a cheery wave as he strolled away, a whistling tune emerging from the hall after he was out of sight.  
The two Hyuuga sat there in silence for a moment, then began talking quietly amongst themselves.

-

The doors to the great hall banged open and the group from Konoha entered, Jiraiya at the lead.  
"Ah, Jiraiya-san." Albus Dumbledore called, rising from his seat. "I trust your journey overland was not plagued with undue difficulty?"  
Jiraiya said nothing until he reached the floor before the raised dais where the teachers all sat during meals. "Our fee is going up, old man."  
Several gasps escaped from the teachers that had already seated themselves. Dumbledore merely raised an eyebrow before speaking. "If you wish to renegotiate the terms I hired you under, I would be more than willing to discuss it once the welcome feast is complete."  
"We'll discuss it now." Jiraiya said. "The mission you outlined said nothing about having to deal with Dementors. Nor a full-on assault from Voldemort's minions."  
"Unforeseen difficulties." Dumbledore said. "I did not expect that you and yours would have to deal with such matters."  
"I think you're lying."  
Dumbledore's eyes glinted, a hint of steel showing. "You are certainly entitled to that opinion. In fact, it is one that you would be sharing with a great many people. I will think no less of you for that. Unfortunately, further conversation on this topic will have to wait, as the students have arrived and it is time for the welcome feast."  
Something crossed Jiraiya's face, then was gone. "We will continue this discussion."  
Albus Dumbledore inclined his head. "I will be at your disposal. Later. Would you like a lemon drop?"  
Jiraiya stepped aside, giving the headmaster an odd look asgestured for the others to follow and they gathered in a loose circle off to the side.  
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore announced. "I have a great many things to tell you all, but those can wait. First, the Sorting!"  
"When I call your name, come forward." McGonagall called out and glanced at the scroll she held. "Elisabeth Anderson."  
"This might take a while." Jiraiya muttered, then turned his head as Genma approached.  
"We've got a problem, Jiraiya-sama." He said quietly.  
"Naruto's run off from the hospital wing?" as Genma nodded, Jiraiya sighed. "Nothing to be done. He'll find his way here shortly. Or she will."  
Genma arched an eyebrow. "She? But isn't that just Naruto playing a prank?"  
Jiraiya sighed again. "I'm not so sure that's the case anymore."  
"Talking about girl-type Naruto?" Anko inquired.  
"How did you ever guess?" Genma drawled.  
Anko ignored that, glancing toward the table where the students in green sat. "How's Ebisu doing?"  
"He reported earlier. The boy's eating the act up. Said the Malfoy kid was an arrogant little prick." Jiraiya said absently, watching the students come up, have the hat placed on their head, then go to sit with their appropriate class.  
"That meshes nicely with what we know from Neji and Naruto's meetings with him." Genma observed.  
"It's those three I'm most concerned with." Anko remarked, tilting her head toward the table where Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat. "The girl is far too clever for her own good. The two boys…"  
"Harry has potential." Genma cut in, earning a nettled glance from Anko. "If he can overcome his anger and his penchant for rushing recklessly into situations over his head, he might actually amoung to something."  
"The other boy, Weasley," Anko said, stealing back the topic. "Tempermental to an extreme. Very distrustful of us and not afraid to share his opinions. Not too bright, either. He tends to draw incorrect assumptions or run off at the mouth about things that his personal prejudices have slanted him against."  
"Looks like they're finished." Jiraiya observed, glancing at the dais as the last student moved to join his new classmates.The woman, McGonagall, moved to take the hat away.  
"A moment, Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore said. "Before we eat, I would like to make an announcement. After lengthy deliberation, I was able to secure a new Defense against the Dark Arts professor this year, and I would like to introduce you to him." He indicated the group of shinobi with a flourish.  
"Yo." Jiraiya held up a hand in greeting, looking out over the crowd of students.  
There was silence for a moment, then Dumbledore resumed his speech. "In addition, some of Jiraiya's own students have accompanied him and we have arranged for some of our own students to pair off with them and assist them in adapting to life at Hogwarts while they are here. Your heads of house will inform you if you have been selected for such a pairing."  
Dumbledore glanced at Jiraiya as conversation sprang up amongst the students. Then, after a moment, he raised his hands and the talk dropped off. "If there is no problem with it on your end, Jiraiya-san, I would like to extend the offer of a complimentary sorting for your students. For formality's sake, only."  
Jiraiya shrugged. "That's entirely up to them."  
The three genin present exchanged a look, then Shikamaru spoke. "Whatever. Sounds troublesome, but sure, I'll do it." He crossed the floor, his hands stuck in his pockets and seated himself on the stool. McGonagall, a frown marring her features, placed the hat on his head.  
_"Ah… let's see…Hm. Interesting. Very interesting."  
_Shikamaru started, glancing around. "Eh?"  
_"A Shinobi, eh? Not often that one of your kind come into our part of the world. I see that you're very…lazy. But still fiercely loyal to your friends But…with a mind like that, there's only one place I could send you."  
_"RAVENCLAW!" the hat atop Shikamaru's head cried out. McGonagall removed it from his head and Shikamaru walked off, looking faintly annoyed.  
"Guess I'll go next." Chouji said, opening a fresh bag of chips to eat and crossed the floor as Shikamaru had. Without a word, he sat, continuing to eat silently.  
_"Another Shinobi? Curiouser and Curiouser. I see that you're intensely loyal. And… quite fierce in protecting your friends when provoked. I can only think of one place to put you when I add all that up."  
_"GRYFFINDOR!  
Chouji walked back to where the others stood and stood next to Shikamaru, watching as Shino walked up. "What's a Gryffindor, Shikamaru?"  
"Che. They're divided up into different groups here for their lessons. Seems like Gryffindors are one of those groups." Shikamaru said. "Seems rather complicated to me."  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat pronounced after a moment's deliberation. Shino rejoined them as Dumbledore rose to speak.  
"I would like all of you to give our guests the warmest welcome while they are staying here." He said, scanning the room as he spoke. "It is my hope that all of you will form close bonds in the time you have together with them. Now, unless there is something else, I suggest we all-"  
"Just one second." A soft, but clear and audible, voice called out. The doors had swung open to the great hall without a sound and someone was walking down the center aisle.  
Jiraiya rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "What the hell is she thinking?"  
Uzumaki Naruko ignored the vaguely cold sensation of the floor on her bare feet as she crossed the room. She was dressed much as Naruto would have been, except her coat hung open, exposinig a black shirt that did little to hide the fact that she was undeniably female. A smile crossed her face as she felt the eyes of many of the students, mostly male, but a few female, tracking her in open admiration. The rest followed her and were envious. She ignored them all, coming to a stop before the dais.  
She gave her brightest smile to the people seated at the table, noting with great delight as several looked very uncomfortable. The only ones who didn't seem to be bothered were Dumbledore, who met her smile with a vague one of his own. Snape, who stared at her with piercing interest, and McGonagall, who looked quite incensed at her interrupting Dumbledore.  
"Don't I get a chance to be Sorted?"

To Be Continued


	8. Foxes and Snakes

_"Well, let's see… Oh my…" _the voice of the Hat said as it settled on Naruko's head. _"Most irregular. Why, exactly, are you here?"_

"Obligations."

_"So I see. An impressive piece of work, what you've managed, given the obstacles."_ The Hat mused. _"So, would you like me to see to your sorting?"_

"Don't you usually decide that sort of thing without student input?"

_"Well, there _was_ that one time." _It murmured._ "But in this case, since you seem to care not, and based on what I see…"_

"SLYTHERIN!"

Chibipoe Productions

Presents

The Griffin and the Fox

Chapter Eight - Foxes and Snakes

Conversation instantly sprung up as the Hat was lifted away and Naruko sauntered off toward the others.

"She's a bloody Slytherin." Ron whispered. "I knew that bunch was rotten."

Hermione barely heard him, tracking Naruko as she engaged the elder, Jiraiya, in conversation. A Slytherin? How?

"Did you ever get your wand back, Harry?" Ron was asking as her thoughts drifted back to the group. "Better be sure she didn't do anything Dark with it."

"Oh, for…" Hermione began. "You are getting quite outrageous with this theory, Ron. Has she ever done anything to prove she's evil?"

"The Hat said she should be in Slytherin." Ron said stubbornly. "That's proof enough right there."

Hermione stared at him for a moment, then shook her head, looking at Harry. "And do you believe that they…she… are evil?"

Harry stared at the group for a moment, then glanced to Hermione. "Well. Ron does have a point. Have we ever known a Slytherin who wasn't?"

"I knew you'd agree with me, mate!" Ron said, glancing smugly at Hermione.

"And you are such a good judge." Hermione muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, his voice low.

"What do you think it means, Harry Potter?" she asked in reply, matching his suddenly steady stare without blinking.

"Forget it, Harry." Ron said, touching his friend's shoulder. "It's just Hermione on a crusade. Like with spew."

Her face turned red. "It's S.P.E.W and this has absolutely nothing to do with that."

"It has everything to do with it!" Ron snapped. "It's exactly like the house elf thing. Shinobi are evil, Hermione. Everyone knows that! House elves like serving wizards. Everyone knows that as well!. Except you."

Hermione started to say something in reply, but stopped as Harry turned his attention to Ron, his face darkening with rage.

"…Aw, bloody hell, Harry, I didn't mean it like that." Ron said, noticing the look Harry was giving him.

"How did you mean it then, Ron?" Harry asked. "Do explain."

"Is this seat taken?" a voice intruded on Hermione's focus on the building argument. Naruko stood beside her, staring at the seat next to her.

"Yes." Ron snapped, avoiding meeting Harry's stare.

"Quite right." Naruko agreed, sliding into the seat. "I just took it."

"Your kind aren't welcome." He retorted.

"Ron!"

"My kind?" Naruko seemed amused. "What would 'my kind' be?"

"Slytherins. Shinobi." Ron explained. "Bunch of no good…"

"Ron!"

"Do go on." Naruko remarked. "Your opinions are terribly fascinating."

Hermione glanced at her. "You're not helping, you know."

"Noticed, did you?" she asked, flashing a grin before turning to Ron. "So, having been chosen for this Slytherin house makes me evil, am I understanding you?"

"And being a Shinobi." Ron nodded, looking pleased. "Now go play with the other snakes."

"Well, there's a problem."

"Not from what I see."

"You mentioned snakes, that's the problem." Naruko said. "I can't be one of these snakes."

"Oh really?" Ron asked, scorn dripping from his voice. "Why not?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Naruko's grin grew, exposing teeth as she leaned forward, amused as those around them were all watching the conversation in silence. "Foxes eat snakes."

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Ron demanded, confused.

Naruko shrugged. "You asked why I couldn't be one of those snakes. I told you. Not my fault you're too slow to understand." She rose from her seat, reaching into her pocket and tossing something at Harry.

"Forgot to give you that back," he heard as he caught his wand. "Hermione." When he looked up, she was heading across the hall toward where the other shinobi were.

"Something not right about that girl." Ron said, shuddering. "And I still don't get it. Foxes eat snakes?"

"Obviously she was having fun at your expense, Ron." Hermione said, shaking her head before once more staring across the room toward the form of Naruko, who was laughing at something the dark haired woman, Anko, was saying. "But I wonder…"

"'Mione?" Harry inquired, noting her expression. "What is it?"

"Oh." She shook her head. "Nothing. I suddenly find I'm not hungry. I think I'll go up to the library and study."

"Already?" Ron said, eyes wide. "Didn't you study enough over the summer?"

"Don't be silly, Ron." Hermione scoffed, standing. "You can never study enough."

"I'm impressed." A voice intruded as Naruko was walking down the hall. "I wouldn't have expected one of your kind to be sorted for Slytherin."

Naruko looked back over her shoulder. "Oh. You."

Draco Malfoy straightened as her regard focused on him, ignoring the presence of Crabbe and Goyle completely. "I suppose I should properly introduce myself. Draco Malfoy, of Slytherin."

"And?"

And? "Isn't that enough? You don't recognise my name? Not surprising, being from the country as I'm told you people come from, not recognising the esteemed name of Malfoy is to be expected."

"Do you always talk about yourself this much?" Naruko wondered absently. "Or is it sprung from some twisted desire to impress me?"

Draco blinked. That wasn't in the script. "Well, I had decided I'd introduce myself. The chosen of Slytherin should stick together, after all. And the hat did choose Slytherin for you."

"And that alone made you think I cared about you?" Naruko inquired. "Or is there some other reason you've decided to accost me in a darkened corridor with your two friends there."

"This is Crabbe." Draco gestured. "And Goyle."

Naruko grinned, glancing at the one to Draco's left. "Which one are you? Crabbe? Or Goyle?"

"Vincent Crabbe." He said.

"Charmed, I'm sure." She turned her regard back to Draco. "So what do you really want?"

Draco blinked. Why did she keep deviating from the script? They were supposed to dance around the subject. "I want to be your friend."

"Really now?"

He nodded. "Yes. I think we can be of great use to each other."

"I'll think about it." Naruko turned on her heel, walking away. "I'm sure I'll let you know something sometime soon."

"Wait!" Draco called. "Tell me one thing, first."

"Hmm?"

"Why'd your brother attack my father?"

"That?" she shrugged. "He's like that. He didn't care for what your dad was saying."

"It was only the truth." Draco muttered. "Filthy mudblood girl."

Naruko regarded him for a moment. "And you just answered your own question, I think."

"Don't tell me you're a mudblood sympathiser." Draco commented, astonished. "After the Hat chose you for Slytherin?"

Naruko turned away. "You place far too much value on the decisions of a minor spirit."

Draco frowned. Minor spirit? The Hat? "You are very strange."

She turned back, flashing teeth in a grin. "So I've been told. Would their be a point to any of this now that you've made a painfully transparent attempt to fish for information concerning my brother and his friends?"

Bristling, Draco took a step forward. "I don't think I care for your tone."

She yawned. "Couldn't possibly imagine why I should be concerned about that."

"You're a Slytherin. You need to associate with those like you." He pressed. "Proclaim your loyalty to the only one who is truly deserving."

Her eyes narrowed. "And who would that be? You?"

He shook his head. "No. Not I. There is another. He would welcome one of you into his service."

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you right now then, Draco." Naruko stepped toward him. "I have been many things. A servant is NOT one of them."

"You cannot resist." Draco said, a fevered light in his eyes. "We will all serve. The choice whether it is painful service or a beneficial one is yours."

"And now." She said slowly. "I find I dislike you even more than Naruto does."

"You can't think that your friends will be able to protect you from his wrath."

"I assure you that I won't need them to protect me from the overblown philosophy of one such as Lord Voldemort." Naruko retorted, amused as the two boys flanking Draco gasped.

"You blaspheme." Draco snapped.

"No, in fact, I can't blaspheme against something I don't believe in." she took another step forward, the corridor around them seeming to darken as reddish light tinted the space around her.

"Um.. Draco, sir…" Crabbe murmured, his eyes widdening as he and Goyle stared around them.

"Quiet, fool." Draco snarled, his expression feverish. "You can't think to challenge the Dark Lord. You'll be destroyed just like the fool Potter."

"And he's done such a fine job of that task, hasn't he?" Naruko smirked. "I think your devotion clouds your rather limited faculties to the truth."

"The truth is that when the Dark Lord rises," Draco hissed. "Mudblood lovers like you will be the first to go!"

"And will that mean anything if you're not around to see that glorious event?" she asked, sarcasm in her words as the red light deepened to crimson.

Draco Malfoy blinked, thrown off. "You wouldn't dare do anything to me?"

"Certain, are you?" she replied and Draco found himself taking a step back as her eyes suddenly flashed to red. "But so lacking in the capacity to recognise when you're hanging above the jaws of something much bigger than yourself."

"I'm not afraid of your theatrics." He blustered, noticing the light that now seemed to fill the corridor.

"So?"

"What?"

"So why should I care that you lack the intelligence to know when you should be afraid?" she was very close to him now and he couldn't seem to find the willpower to back away.

"My father…"

"Will do nothing but lick his wounds from the beating my brother gave him." Naruko whispered in his ear, leaning closer. "But I'm afraid that tearing your throat out as I would dearly love to do shall have to wait. We have gathered an audience, it seems." The red light abruptly winked out and the normal light returned to the corridor as Naruko stepped back, her eyes blue once more as she smiled brightly.

"Do think about that, Draco." She said loudly. "Perhaps later we can reach an understanding."

"Ms. Naruko?" the voice of the Headmaster cut into Draco's awareness. "Could we have a word with you?"

Naruko looked at the teachers arranged before her, who all were clearly wary, hands holding wands out of sight, she suspected. "Concerning?"

Dumbledore glanced at Draco. "Your exact placement among the students for the exchange program. You are something of a puzzle, as your arrival was not expected."

"Wasn't particularly interested in hanging around doing nothing while Naruto had all the fun." She shrugged.

"Understandable." Dumbledore smiled. "Perhaps we could discuss where to place you over some lemon drops?"

"Lead the way."

The interior of Dumbledore's office was quiet as Naruko stepped into the room, surveying it curiously.

"So, old man, whaddya want?"

Dumbledore paused as he approached his desk, then turned slowly, frowning. "An explanation, for one, Naruto-san."

"If you mean about Naruko, no idea." The blond genin shrugged. "Ero-sennin said it was something I wasn't supposed to do while around here. But…"

"It's happening anyway?" Dumbledore guessed, rooting around the table before him and holding up a jar. "Candy?"

"What kind?"

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."

"Hm. Wonder if there's a ramen flavored…" Naruto reached into the jar and extracted one, popping it into his mouth. "Oooh, shrimp ramen!"

"So you've no idea what is causing these… transformations?" Dumbledore inquired.

Naruto shrugged again. "Nope. It's weird, one minute I'm me…then… not. Dunno."

"And you're not worried about this? That you might become Naruko permanently?"

The genin swallowed. "Thinking about that sort of thing is too hard."

Albus Dumbledore eyed the young man for a moment without saying anything. "Very well. Please advise Naruko to not threaten the students in such a disturbing fashion in the future, would you? Her display would have been felt by many and it _was_ most disquieting."

"Um…sure?" Naruto replied. "Can I go?"

"Certainly. Take a few more of these with you, if you like…" Dumbledore held out the jar, from which Naruto grabbed a handful and shoved it into his pocket before leaving.

"Stupid perverts…" Naruto muttered as he stared around the hall. "Why are all old guys perverts?"

_You've seen nothing to say that this particular old man is a pervert._

He snorted. "Yeah, right. The geezer was a pervert. Ero-sennin's a pervert. Not sure what Orochimaru is, but I'd bet he's a pervert too. So this Dumbledore is probably a pervert as well."

_…Your logic is unassailable._

"Why am I talking to myself anyway?" Naruto wondered, looking around to be sure no one was hiding and playing a trick on him.

_For your own amusement? And you aren't talking to yourself, not really._

"Who else would I be talking to?" he demanded. "That damned fox? Not real talkative, there."

_Perhaps you've never said anything worthwhile to warrant a proper conversation?_

"Huh?"

_…. You talk nonsense all too often. It's boring._

"Are you the fox?"

_Hardly. Seal? Remember? Fox can't come out and play unless you use the chakra._

Naruto stood in the hall for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Naruko?"

_A prize for you! The idiot's prize, for taking so long, but a prize nonetheless._

"You don't have to be rude."

_One finds it needful to beat simple concepts into your head, which means, before you ask, that yes, I do have to be rude. Now, would you like to get back to the others before some industrious teacher sees fit to chastise you for roaming the halls alone?_

"Like how?"

_You can tap the chakra of the Kyuubi, yes?_

"Well, duh."

_Call on it, but instead of filtering it through your body, direct it through the chakra pathways in and around your eyes._

"Huh?" Naruto asked, not comprehending.

Naruko's voice sighed. _Ask the Hyuuga to help you refine your chakra control, then we'll talk. I'm going to sleep now._

"Naruto-kun?"

"Ah! Hina-chan! Neji!" Naruto jumped, startled.

"Yes. We are." Neji remarked. "Where have you been?"

"Talking to the old pervert who runs the place." He answered. "They let you out of the hospital?"

"Jiraiya-sama asked us to find you." Hinata murmured, her cheeks red for some reason.

"And now we're here, having found you talking to yourself." Neji remarked.

"I wasn't.." Naruto began, then shook his head. "Y'know what? Forget it."

Neji gave him an odd look, then shrugged. "Fair enough. So why are you out in the hall?"

Naruto muttered something that neither Hyuuga could hear.

"What was that, Naruto?" Neji inquired.

"I said I'm lost, ok?"

The older Hyuuga chuckled. "Come on, we'll show you."

"I would have found my way on my own, you know."

"Of course."

"I really would!"

"I'm agreeing with you, Naruto."

"… Are not."

"I am not participating in this childishness with you again."

"I win! Yay!"

"…Idiot."

"But an idiot who won!"

"Naruto-kun."

"Ok, ok, I'll stop."

"Thank you, Hinata-san."

"That Malfoy brat is nuts."

"Rather abrupt change of topic."

"He's weird. Obsessed, I guess. Mumbling about some dark lord and how I… how Naruko should join him before he exterminates all of us 'mudblood' lovers." Naruto explained, pensively prodding a spot on the floor with his foot.

Neji and Hinata exchanged a worried look. "Fanatic."

"What's that?" Naruto inquired, glancing from one Hyuuga to the other.

"Something very bad." Neji answered.

Hinata looked up at Naruto. "Someone obsessed with an idea to the point that they cannot accept any conflicting ideas." Both of the boys looked at her, then at each other.

"Wow, Hina-chan, you're so smart!"

"Impressive." Neji murmured. "You did well, Hinata-san."

Hinata reddened. "Thank you."

"We should tell ero-sennin about this fanatic thing." Naruto remarked.

"A logical statement from you. Now that IS impressive." Neji said.

"Is that an insult, jerk?" Naruto growled.

"Never mind that." Neji cut him off. "What I want to know is why you're running around with this facade concerning Naruko, as if she were actually a different person."

"I don't know." Naruto glanced away, oddly uncomfortable.

"You're evading the question." Neji stated.

"I'm not." He replied. "I really don't know, ok? It's something weird related to…"

"To what, Naruto-kun?" Hinata inquired, looking from Neji to Naruto at the sudden tension between the two boys.

Naruto stared at the ground, not meeting either's eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It involves what happened in the chuunin exam, doesn't it?" Neji asked, his attention squarely on Naruto.

Naruto nodded. "I don't know that much about it. And I really don't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Could you keep it down?" a voice snapped, half-asleep. "Some of us are trying to sleep, you know."

_Shit! Someone's watching us and none of us heard them approach?_ Neji thought, the Byakugan flaring to life as he scanned the room."Damn!"

"What?" Naruto asked, scanning the dark hallway. "I don't see anyone."

"Genjutsu?" Neji inquired, his gaze flickering briefly to Hinata.

She said nothing for a moment, then the veins around her eyes emerged as she too engaged the Hyuuga clan's bloodline limit. "There is some very strange chakra all around us. But it doesn't appear to bear the usual patterning that accompanies genjutsu. It's like many complex weavings of chakra with no obvious connection from one to the next."

"You're making too much noise! Why is the Headmaster letting children run the halls unsupervised?" another voice snapped to their right.

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped. "Where we go-"

Hinata clamped her hands over his mouth, eyes wide. "Shhh!"

Neji shook his head. "Don't answer, Naruto."

"Why?" Naruto asked after Hinata withdrew her hands, turning red.

"S-s-some genjutsu do not trigger fully unless you… interact with them." She explained.

"Some can present the appearance of someone nearby, perhaps someone or something in trouble…. And if you interact with them, it triggers the genjutsu." Neji clarified before Naruto could demand more information.

"That's messed up." He remarked, uneasily looking around.

"Hinata-san?" Neji prompted.

"Still no indication that this is a genjutsu." She answered. "None of them are blending together that I can see…"

"But?" Naruto asked, curious.

"If it already triggered when you spoke." Neji interjected. "Then it could be layered and only keeping the appearance of not having changed."

"Eh. Sounds way too complicated for me." Naruto crossed his arms. "Let's just go."

"Do you actually know any genjutsu?" Neji wondered aloud.

"Yeah!" Naruto answered. "I just don't know that much about them."

"Gai-sensei really was telling the truth about Kakashi's training methods." Neji muttered.

Naruto ignored him, turning to face down the hall. "Let's go. I want to ero-sennin about that Malfoy freak and get some ramen."

"…" Neji shook his head, but fell into step with Hinata as they followed after Naruto.

"Really, Ms. Granger." Madam Pince sighed. "Is it really necessary to visit so soon?"

"Sorry, sorry." Hermione said, breathless. "I just need to check out one book."

The librarian stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "I suppose there's no helping it. But do be quick."

"Thank you." She murmured, heading through the stacks to the restricted section. She stopped just short of that, making a left turn into a row bordering that.

"Curses… curses…" she said to herself, eyes scanning the shelves. "I know you're here somewhere…" Hermione barely contained a squeal of joy as she locked onto the title she had been looking for.

"Curses and haunted regions of the Orient." She read aloud, tracing away the dust on the spine. A smile plastered across her face, she retraced her steps out of the library, intent on checking out her new possession.

Jiraiya crossed his arms, frowning thoughtfully at Neji, Naruto, and Hinata. "An interesting tidbit. I believe we can make use of this. Ebisu?"

The jounin instructor adjusted his glasses. "A promising avenue to exploit. I am concerned about one thing though."

"Hm?" Anko inquired, nibbling on a skewer of dango as she glanced over at him.

"He's presented himself as obnoxious, arrogant and prejudiced, true." Ebisu clarified. "But not once has he shown any signs of being anything more than a snotty brat. Why he would suddenly cast himself as a fanatic obsessed with racial genocide makes no sense. He has absolutely no sense of subtlety."

"He's terrified of us." Neji mused. "His first encounter wth us went poorly for him and everything after was even worse. He's seen his father embarassed in public by someone in his age range. He likely wants to return the favor and frighten us."

"So he tried grandstanding in hopes that we mgiht be cowed?" Genma asked, shaking his head. "Is he really that conceited?"

Ebisu nodded. "Of that, I have no doubt. He has, shall we say, an overdeveloped sense of superiority."

"Keep both eyes on him." Jiraiya ordered. "Beyond that, leave him be. I want to see what he does next."

"There's no way!" Naruto shouted suddenly, having been flipping through the folders scattered across the nearby table. "This is your idea of a joke, isn't it!"

The sage smirked. "I do apologise that you couldn't be present when assignments were handed out. Don't worry, though. I have every confidence that you'll enjoy wht I've set for you."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to do this, pervert!" Naruto shouted, his face turning red.

Jiraiya dropped his hand on the table with a loud bang. "You'll do it because that is part of the mission. End of discussion."

Naruto glared sullenly at his sensei. "This is stupid."

The san-nin smiled wickedly. "Feel that way as much as you like as long as you do what the assignment calls for."

"…Fine." Naruto glared again. "I don't know why I have to this, though. It really sounds like one of your perverted ideas."

Jiraiya's regard fixed on Naruto, then he sighed and glanced around. "Would you all give me a moment with Naruto?"

Once everyone had left, he raised an eyebrow. "Why wait until they had left to show yourself?"

Naruko didn't answer, instead looking at the orange jumpsuit she was wearing with distaste. "He really has bad fashion sense."

"That's wasn't an answer."

"Wasn't supposed to be." Naruko retorted, her expression mocking. "Naruto won't be able to do what this requires."

"Volunteering?"

"It could be interesting." She shrugged. "Certainly it will be fun to see how long it takes the first of them to catch on."

"I suspect this one has already become suspicious." Jiraiya said, holding up the folder Naruto had been looking at.

"I won't take that wager."

"Spoilsport." Jiraiya pouted, then his expression turned serious. "You're not Naruto, are you?"

"Now what gives you that idea?"

"Again, not an answer."

"You're right." She smirked. "But, to placate you… yes, I am and no I'm not."

"Which is even less of an answer than before."

"You do catch on quick."

The ninja smirked. "Of course. I –am- the Toad Master of Mt. Myokobugama."

"You're a pervert and a drunkard as well." Naruko said scornfully.

"Those, too."

"…"

"Nothing to say to that?"

"Dignifying that with a response is beneath me."

"All joking aside, do you think you can do this?"

"I did say Naruto wouldn't be able to do this, did I not?"

"Which doesn't translate to accepting responsibility for the assignment."

"I suppose you'll have to wait and see, won't you?"

"You really have mastered the art of saying absolutely nothing at all, I see."

"Why, thank you."

"That wasn't intended as a compliment."

"Intentions are irrelevant. Only actions matter."

"And people accuse _me_ of being pointless and vague."

"I'm going now."

"Could I interest you in helping me conduct research for my next book?"

"… You really do live dangerously." Naruko smirked and sauntered over, a sway to her hips that caught Jiraiya's eyes as she leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

"….Guh."

"You are so easy."

"Were you serious?" he asked, wiping away a trickle of blood. "Because that would be… a bestseller, beyond a doubt."

"Keep your perverted fantasies to yourself." Naruko said. "And we'll see. Maybe you'll get a first hand report."

"Ah well." Jiraiya shrugged. "Back to business."

"Agreed." Naruko glanced at the papers. "Do you think Naruto's assignment could be diverted by a romantic distraction?"

"If not seduced outright." He murmured. "But I suspect it will be no easy task to sidetrack her in such a fashion. She strikes me as very determined."

Naruko waved a hand dismissively. "That, in itself, would be key. Hermione's very intelligent. If someone were to match her on that level, it would provide enough of a distraction to divert her attention. I am, however, curious."

"Hmmm?"

"What is the point of this?"

"You're not wrong about Hermione's intelligence." Jiraiya said. "There are certain things I'd rather she did not know just yet. Distract her. I don't care how. But keep her attention on you or Naruto sufficiently that she doesn't start to investigate all of us."

"Why?"

He shook his head, grinning. "It's a secret to everyone."

"You're impossible. I'm going now."

"Have fun."

"… Piss off, ero-sennin." Naruto muttered, blinking in confusion.

"Welcome back."

"… I really don't like that."

"Deal with it. She isn't going anywhere, any time soon, I suspect."

"This sucks." Naruto summed up with a scowl, shoving open the door and storming out without another word.

To be continued


	9. The title of this chapter doesn't fit

The flames roared higher, their crackling matched only by the panicked screams.

"Run! For Merlin's sake, run! It's coming this way!"

"Burn!" a voice boomed, echoing off into the night. "Burn! Burn!" The flames roared higher yet again, madly cackling laughter trailing off as a pair of crimson eyes opened above them.

"Augh!" two voices cried out at the same time, both rising rapidly from where they had been sleeping fitfully. Thankfully, the rest of the room remained oblivious to their abrupt awakening.

"Nightmares?" Harry Potter asked of the blond boy sitting across from him.

"… yeah. Nightmares." Naruto replied, one hand coming to rest on his stomach. "You?"

Harry nodded rather than reply, one hand coming to rest on his forehead as he winced.

"Where'd you get that scar?"

The Boy Who Lived blinked, the pain momentarily forgotten. "It's a curse mark…"

"From the snake freak?" Naruto asked, his entire demeanor suddenly shifting, becoming almost predatory.

Harry stared, feeling the almost tangible anger radiating from him before answering. "His name is Voldemort."

"Vol-de…mort." Naruto sounded out, frowning. "Sounds stupid."

"He has a pet snake, so I suppose snake freak works." Harry said tentatively.

"Yeah, we've got one of our own." Naruto replied after a moment. "Likes to summon snakes, though. Got one as big as this place."

Harry blinked.

"I'm going to go find the pervert." Naruto announced. "Hope you can get some sleep."

The room was silent except for the sounds of those slumbering as Harry sat there, staring at the vacated bed across from him, then at his hands. "A snake the size of Hogwarts… That's not possible, is it?"

Chibipoe Productions Presents...

The Griffin and the Fox

Chapter 9

Hermione Granger and the Mystery of Uzumaki Naruko

"I want to say no, Harry, but… after researching? I've realised that there is no such thing as an absolute where they are concerned." Hermione said with a sigh as they talked over breakfast.

"Is that why the Ministry keeps information about them so restricted?" Harry asked.

"They're Dark, that's why." Ron muttered.

Harry focused his interest on his food as Hermione turned her attention to the Weasley. "Do you have anything constructive to add to this conversation, Ronald?"

"I should think it's obvious, personally," he muttered, not meeting her eyes. "They made dementors run away without a patronus. What would you call that?"

"Resourceful?"

"Just because you've read something about them in a book doesn't make you an expert, you know!" Ron snapped.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "And the Ministry is such a shining example of the truth, isn't it? I'd trust my books before anything that comes from there!"

"That's your problem!" Ron almost shouted. "You trust them too much! They make them seem like they're dashing and mysterious! And you eat it up. What was that one doing in the girl's dorm this morning, huh?"

"Ron!" Ginny snapped from down the table a bit, but was ignored by both. Hermione had paled, but Ron didn't notice and continued his tirade.

"You're so obsessed with your books, that you can't tell when you're being hoodwinked! What did she say to you? What did she do? Maybe mum was right last year and you're…"

The sound of flesh against flesh silenced the room.

Ron held his hand against his cheek, staring at the now empty seat across from him. "What did she do that for?"

----

The doors to the balcony cracked open with a bang. Eyes bright, Hermione rushed out into the bright morning.

"Stupid…" she muttered, angrily wiping away at her eyes, then wincing as her wrist protested.

"Next time," a voice remarked. "Go for a punch, and put your shoulder into it. It'll hurt less."

"I'd like to be alone, please."

"I'm not allowed to console?"

"Considering it was your presence that prompted those remarks?" Hermione inquired. "I believe the answer would be no."

"All the more reason I should endeavor to make amends." Naruko whispered, her breath warm against the brunette's ear, who said nothing. Nor did she move, until, with a sigh, Naruko stepped away. Glancing around, she leaned against the railing.

"This place…" she said, staring out across the lake. "I feel like I've been her before."

"Hogwarts has stood for a thousand years…" Hermione said absently.

"And before that?"

"What?"

"What was here before that?" Naruko tilted her head toward the lake. "There are ruins there, yes?"

"_Hogwarts, a History_ doesn't really touch on that."

"I suppose it wouldn't, being as that was before this place was Hogwarts, one assumes." She said. "Will you tell me about this place?"

"You could just read…"

"Books do have their appeal. However, they're nowhere near as captivating as learning about this place from someone who has spent the past four years here."

Hermione favored her with a dark look. "I do not trust you."

"And well you should not." Came the reply. "Shinobi are terrifying and evil, after all. Despoilers of virgins, slayers of children."

"Fond of melodrama as well, I see."

"You wound me, fair lady."

"Duplicitious." Hermione muttered. "Very well. I will tell you about Hogwarts."

"The fair lady consents to be my guide!"

"On one condition."

"That I tell you of our world in turn?"

"How did you…"

"Your beauty, fair lady, is outshined only by your thirst for knowledge."

Hermione reddened. "Am I that obvious?"

"It's endearing." Naruko assured. "Come, fair flower, and let us venture into the unknown!" She held out a hand to the bushy haired female, who stared at it for a long moment before placing her own atop it, releasing a pent up breath as she did so.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?" Naruko asked, laughing as the two passed through the door back into Hogwarts.

------

Harry Potter stared at the pale-eyed shinobi. "Why do we have to do this?"

"To promote cooperation between our people and broaden the knowledge of both." Neji replied, looking bored.

"Then why are we just staring at each other?"

"The answer is that you've done nothing but glare at me since you were brought here."

"So this is my fault?" Harry snapped.

"That is what I said." Neji agreed.

"You're a prat." Harry said, glaring once more.

"If it makes you feel better to think that." Neji trailed off. "Shall we spar?"

"You want to fight?"

"No." he answered, patient. "I want to teach you to defend yourself, perhaps even to control some of your anger."

"I'm not angry!"

"As you say." Neji nodded pleasantly. "Still, my offer stands."

"Why?"

"Pardon?"

"Why are you all here?" Harry demanded. "Why do you keep bothering us? What do you WANT?"

"I can't speak for everyone else, but I want you to stop asking so many questions." Neji answered. "And to spar with me."

"Fine," Harry snarled, pushing away from the table as he drew his wand. "Let's duel."

"No." Neji said. "We're going to teach you to fight, not point with your wand."

"With our hands?" Harry blinked.

"Do any of you learn to fight or duel without your wands?"

"No…"

"Then imagine for me, please, what do you think would happen if someone were to punch a wizard in the middle of a spell being cast? How would they react?"

Harry blinked again.

"You're thinking about it, I see."

"Doesn't explain how you'd deal with them already having a shield cast, though."

"Given who your opponents are, do you think they'll have done so when faced with a wandless enemy?"

"Admittedly," Neji continued. "These scenarios hinge on the combatants being a wizard and ninja respectively. Speed such as we have is crucial."

"Then why are we wasting time?" Harry said, starting to get angry again. "It's not like I'll be able to…"

"Nor would I expect it. Neither, for that matter, would anyone else. But, imagine, your opponent stalks close, thinking you disarmed and he or she intends to gloat. You then break his wrist and stab him through the neck."

"That's…"

"Dishonest? Unfair?" Neji questioned. "It's your LIFE, Potter."

Harry said nothing for a moment, his eyes on the floor. "Let's do it."

Neji almost smiled. "We should find someplace else to start.

------

"Oompa loompa, doopety-doo," Naruko sang. "We are the ninja sent to watch you."

"Must you continue?" Hermione shuddered, eyeing the other girl as she attempted to sing.

"What? You don't like?"

"In a word? No."

"I'm crushed."

"I'm sure." Hermione snorted. "Now, tell me about Konoha…"

"What would you know?"

"Anything? Everything?" Hermione asked wistfully. "What's it like?"

Naruko smiled, her eyes distant. "I wake in the morning and my first sight is the great monument of the Hokage…" She settled herself down in the grass on the hill side, continuing to talk. Neither girl paid any mind to the small group of figures entering through the gates to Hogwarts some distance below them.

------

"Minister, what can I do for you?"

"I am concerned, Albus." Fudge said. "I have heard the most distressing rumors concerning the presence of a variety of delinquents you have permitted to enter the school."

"I see no problem." Dumbledore said, staring across the table. "I am permitted autonomy where the school is concerned."

"To that end," Fudge continued, as if Dumbledore hadn't spoken. "I am appointing a liason who will be monitoring their activities and ensuring that nothing untoward occurs. I present to you, Dolores Umbridge."

"Headmaster." The toad-like woman said shortly, inclining her head.

To be continued…


	10. Interlude Notes in a Journal

The Griffin and the Fox 

Interlude - Notes in a Journal

September 29th, 1995

It happened again this morning. I woke, as has been the norm of late, to the sound of singing. None of the other girls could hear it apparently, so I'm left to assume that I am the sole victim of one shinobi's bizarre sense of humor. Bedeviling me seems to delight her, though I know not why. I refuse to let her get to me, however. Avoiding her has not been the easiest thing, however, since she appears to be everywhere I go.

- H.G

September 30th, 1995

The nerve of some people! My every attempt to talk to the other Shinobi or learn more about them is sidetracked by HER! EVERY TIME! It's as if she's my personal minder, orienting solely on me.  
Unbelievable. They have been paired off with us. I wonder why... This bears further investigating.

- H.G

September 30th, 1995, 2nd Entry

I have not spent a lot of time here this year talking about my friends. I am going to do that now, however. Specifically, Harry. Umbridge's arrival was not met with much enthusiasm by anyone, least of all the Headmaster. Apparently the Minister has been quite successful in undermining his power in such a fashion that he was not able to halt the undersecretary's placement here. Today, however, demonstrated exactly how her arrival has affected Harry. More than once, while observing classes, her sniping remarks when she would interject has caused him to lose his temper. (Something he has been doing quite a bit recently, I will admit)  
But the one shinobi who has been trying to tutor Harry, Neji, I believe, is very abrasive in his demeanor. During lunch, Harry lost his temper with him and they got into an argument.

Well, Harry got into an argument. Neji kept himself restrained the entire time. A fact that only made Harry angrier, I think. Until finally, Harry tried to curse Neji after he made a remark about being weak. And from there... Neji simply leaned to the side, looking BORED, and the curse sailed past without incident. But Umbridge noticed and was quick to lambaste Harry for recklessly casting at a visitor from another country. She gave him detention, with her. (Yet another thing that the political cold war between the Headmaster and the Minister has given her the power to do.)

I am really worried. Umbridge... she genuinely disturbs me. Perhaps it is her obvious fanaticsm to the Minister, but I am not sure. Whatever the cause, she is dangerous and I fear for what she'll do to Harry...

- H. G


End file.
